A Big Girl comes into his life
by Claidheamh Mohr
Summary: An Investigator for the Museum of Cryptozoology gets lost in the Canadian woods and meets a girl.
1. Chapter 1

A big girl comes into his life

Roger Tate was lost! His only clue to his whereabouts was that he was near a place called "Ape Mountain" on the map of British Columbia, Canada.

Days before, his Canadian guide had slipped away while Roger was asleep, the guide had left the map and a compass but not his rifle, leaving him nearly defenseless.

Hoping to avoid any bears, Roger had tied a small bell to his pack frame, figuring the tinkling it made would alert a bear to his presence and it could avoid to find his quarry, Roger then stubbornly forged ahead only to wind up hopelessly lost.

He only knew that he was on the creek that came out of the valley below Ape Mountain, but little else.

The aerial survey map had showed a small lake there and a bit of a clearing in the dense woods, he figured on making it to the lake and contacting his boss, Rachel could make the arrangements for a helicopter to extract him from the forest that stretched in seemingly endless miles all around him.

With only the creek bed and his map as a guide, Roger toiled his way deeper into the trackless forest, all the while clinging to the hope of finding the small lake in the next few days.

On the seventh day after his abandonment by the feckless guide, Roger had rounded a large berry thicket when the forest opened up and he saw open water, the lake!

Grinning like an idiot, Roger let out the first real laugh he'd enjoyed since he and George had said farewell after the birth of George's twins. Briefly, he wondered how George and Mia were managing, then he shook his head to clear his mind, "Back to reality fellah!" he muttered.

Reaching the lake was about another half hour of walking, then he stood on the rocky shoreline briefly admiring the view.

While glancing around, Roger spotted a pair of trees that had toppled and in so doing, had created a den of sorts. Looking closer, he saw that with a little bit of work, he could make a defensible shelter to wait in until the helicopter arrived.

"First things first!" he muttered while setting up a solar cell array to charge up his satellite phone. Then with his survival hatchet, he made an opening in the tangle of branches, crawling inside he soon had cut out and smoothed off an area large enough for him to sleep in.

Two of the straighter branches were sharpened into crude spears and set aside, lastly he arranged some stones into a shallow fire ring to build a fire in.

With the satellite phone now fully charged, Roger opened up his armored phone and punched in a series of numbers, hit "send" and waited. A few rings later, Rachel answered breathlessly, "Roger?! Is that you?"

Roger chuckled and said, "I'm at the lake, the damn guide ditched me seven days ago. Aside from wanting to choke me a Canuck right now, I'm basically okay!"

Rachel replied grimly, "The little bastard's in jail right now, he came out of the forest telling some wild tale about bears attacking and you got eaten and he ran for his life."

Roger grumbled, "He's gonna wish a bear had eaten me when I get back! He took my granddad's rifle, the one he used when he lived up in Alaska."

Rachel said pleasantly, "We have the rifle, he tried to pawn it and we got it back for you."

He said happily, "Well that is good news! Any how, I'm at the lake near Ape Mountain and I'll stand by until the helicopter gets here."

Rachel said, "That's good, stay put okay? The helicopter will departing as soon as we can arrange for one."

Roger put away the phone and got out his fishing gear, the lake had to have trout in it he figured and after turning over a few pieces of driftwood, he found enough worms to have bait.

The fish were biting and Roger soon caught a couple of sleek lake trout in short order and after cleaning them, he built a small fire, and tied the fish to a thin branch to prop over the fire and roast the fish. After eating his fill, Roger carried the remnants off into the forest and dropped them to the ground.

Coming back to camp, Roger was startled to see he had a visitor. Noiselessly, he slipped behind a tree and peeked around its trunk to get a better look at his guest.

He couldn't see its face just yet, but it stood about his own height of six feet and was covered in fur. Watching it closely, Roger soon realized the fur was its clothing and not its own skin.

Tentatively he called out,"Hello?! Who are you?" and he stepped out from behind the tree.

The figure turned around and he saw looking out from beneath the furred hood, a fair skinned face with bright blue eyes, even features and an open, almost childlike expression. The two stood facing each other, Roger slowly moved to one side to give his visitor a clear way out, the visitor made no effort to move and eyed him curiously.

Roger pressed his hands to to his chest and said, "My name is Roger, I am called Roger. What is your name?" he finished this by pointing with the back of his hand facing his visitor instead of pointing with his fingers.

His visitor smiled and said, "Are ye an 'Mericain?" In heavily accented English.

Roger grinned and replied, "Yes, I am an American."

The visitor smiled and said, "Me name is Freya Sigurdsdottir, me kinfolk sent me tae meet yer." Roger looked around and asked, "People? I'm afraid I don't see any people. Of course with your clothing, it would be real easy for you to hide from me."

Freya gestured towards the dense forest and replied, "Me father and brothers be watching us right now."

Roger grinned and remarked, "I have someone coming to get me in a helicopter and they will be here in a few hours, if I am intruding I apologize, and I will leave as soon as they get here."

Freya looked a bit puzzled and she asked slowly, "Hel, i, cop, ter? What is a hel, i, cop, ter?"

Roger puffed out his cheeks and muttered, "Hoo boy! How do I explain this?"

Then he said carefully, "A helicopter is a thing that flies through the air over great distances, one is coming to get me today, to take me home, back to America."

Freya looked at him steadily and said, "We will wait to see this hel i cop ter you speak of."

Roger could only shrug and he said hopefully, "Well, I can't offer you anything to eat or drink except lake water; or maybe we could catch some more fish and eat them, if you'd like that?"

Freya looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "How will ye catch fish? I dinna see nae fishing spears or nets." Roger grinned at her and said cheerfully, "Watch and learn!"

He dug into his pack again and assembled his fishing pole and reel, Freya looked at his fishing rod curiously and gently touched it with a finger. Roger grinned and said, "It was my grandfather's fishing rod, then it was my father's and now it is mine, it has served me well!"

Roger gathered some more worms and soon had cast his line into the water. He stole a glance at Freya, while she wasn't what he would call a raving beauty.

She certainly wasn't ugly either, her face was well formed and would be comely if she had a little make up on and was wearing something less shapeless. Dressed in street clothes, she would blend right in except for her being his own height of 6 feet, tall women got noticed by virtue of their height alone.

Freya smiled in delight when he hooked a fish and soon, she was busily cleaning it a short ways off; Roger hooked a second fish and Freya began cleaning that too, while Roger got the fire going again by fanning the coals and adding twigs and small dry branches.

While the fish roasted over the crackling fire, Roger asked her, "Should we invite your father and brothers? Perhaps they'd like some fresh trout?"

Freya smiled shyly at him and said mysteriously, "Are ye ready tae meet me father and brothers?" Roger shrugged and replied, "Sure, why not? No sense in them sitting in the forest while we eat and talk to each other."

Freya smiled at him and stood up, she faced the forest and waved at it at first, then she beckoned to it.

She glanced at him and said, "They'll be here in a few minutes." Roger got a good look at her while she waved at the forest and realized that she was quite shapeless underneath her furs, and her voice seemed a little too childish for an adult.

So he came right out and asked her, "Freya, I don't mean to be nosy and ask you any embarrassing questions, but just how old are you?"

Freya smiled at him without guile and replied, "Nine summers... Why do you ask?"

Roger's heart nearly skipped a beat and he replied, " Woah, there is more to you than meets the eye! I came here because I belong to an organization that looks for legendary creatures or people in your case..."

Freya suddenly called out "Father!" and dashed towards the forest, emerging from the gloom were five of the largest humans Roger had ever seen.

Freya dashed towards the largest man and flung herself into his massive arms, he lifted her up and placed her upon his shoulders as if she were a small child.

On either side of him were two slightly smaller, slightly less hairy versions of himself.

Roger smiled as they walked up to him and stood looming over him, their bearded faces impassive.

Her father had to stand almost ten feet tall while her four brothers ranged from seven to nine feet tall.

The huge man eyed Roger calmly and finally said, "I am called Sigurd and how are ye called?" His voice was like a bass note on a pipe organ, Roger felt it as much as he heard it.

Roger smiled at him and replied, "I am named Roger Tate, Tate being my family name and Roger being my given name. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

Sigurd smiled at him through his very impressive reddish-blonde beard and replied in that pedal section of a voice, "It be a pleasure to meet yer too, Roger Tate. Freya tells me ye shared a meal with her as a gesture of friendship. Among me kinfolk that could also be a marriage proposal!"

Roger flushed slightly and replied hastily, "I didn't mean for it to be misunderstood! I was unaware of Freya's youth at the time I offered her food. I did not know I was talking to a frost giant's young daughter!"

Sigurd smiled at him and rumbled, " Oh? So ye've heard of the land O'Jotunheim?"

Author's comment: Ape Mountain is a real place and can be seen on Google Earth


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Roger smiled and replied, " Aye! As I was about to tell Freya, I belong to an organization that seeks the beings of legend. We study the ancient writings and look for the source, the beginning of the tales that are told by the old ones."

He looked around and gestured, "Here is New Jotunheim, not the ancient land of frosts and ice in the old world; that land is lost to you now, but here is your new land. We want to protect it from outsiders, outsiders who could bring trouble."

Sigurd spoke quietly, "We came here many long years ago, fleeing the fierce yellow haired men in their long ships that attacked me kinfolk without cause or mercy. Monsters they called us, but they were the monsters! We only tried to defend ourselves, but they were too many, too quick with a sword and too nimble with a spear. We heard tell of a new land in the west across the sea, and so we came here to this valley shrouded in mists and frost; the wee red men let us pass through their lands and we settled here. Now ye've come to bring us news of the outside world?"

Roger's satellite phone suddenly chimed, shattering the moment, Roger yelped, "Crap!" and hastily answered, "Hello?!"

Rachel's voice came through loud and clear, "Roger, I just wanted to to let you know I've got the helicopter all ready and it will be taking off in a few minutes."

Roger laughed nervously and said, "You might want to come along for this! I've got company and I think you will enjoy meeting Sigurd and his family."

"Sigurd?! Who is Sigurd?"

"Sigurd is a genuine, bonafide son of Utgard, he is most definitely a frost giant."

"A frost giant? You're not kidding me?"

Roger chuckled and replied, "Trust me boss, I would never kid you about this. Let me send you a picture and you tell me!"

Roger glanced over at the towering family and all were looking at him curiously, he held up his satellite phone and said, "This thing allows me to talk to people all over the world, I am talking to my leader and I want to send her a picture of you, if that is alright with you?"

Sigurd shrugged and said, "I don't see that it could hurt us any? Yea lad, ye may take a picture of us."

Roger spoke into the phone, "Hang on a couple more minutes boss!"

He fiddled with the phone briefly and set it down facing the frost giants, he then trotted over to stand next to them, saying cheerfully, "This way, she'll see I'm not joking!"

A few moments later, a soft snapping sound came from the phone and moments after that, Roger retrieved his phone and said anxiously, "Didja get it?"

Rachel's exclamation could be heard clearly, "Wow! I'm coming up too! I'm cancelling the helicopter for today so I can get up there, and we'll try tomorrow. We will call you as we are approaching the lake, don't go very far!"

Roger ended the call and said, "Well, you heard the lady, my boss is coming to meet you folks, she will be bringing things that will remember your stories from long ago."

One of Freya's brothers commented, "I reckon yon fish are done!" as he pointed a knackwurst sized finger at the now charred fish, Roger hastily rescued the very well done trout from the fire and said, "I think I need to catch more fish!" as he offered one to Sigurd.

The giant laughed, a deep rumbling sound that brought to mind echoes from a thunderclap emanating from his mouth and he graciously accepted the blackened fish.

Roger baited his hook once again and cast his line, the giants looked at each other curiously until Freya said in his defense, "Father, I saw him catch the fish ye are eating, with that 'fishing pole', he called it."

Luck was with him and soon he caught several more lake trout, these too were rapidly cleaned and placed on thin sticks to be roasted over the now cheery blaze.

The giants were now seated on handy logs or rocks with their roasted fish and eating contentedly. Sigurd finished his fish and threw its bones out into the lake, he patted his stomach and said pleasantly, "That was a good feed, me thanks t'ye!" a moment later he asked, "How did ye ken tae look here?"

Roger took out his map and spread it on the rocks for them to see.

He gestured at it and said, "This is a map, it is a picture of the land, this blue area is the lake and all of this, is the mountains and the forest." he moved his hand in a circular motion above the map for emphasis.

Straightening up, Roger swept his arms in a broad circle while declaring, "All that you see here is shown on this map. This lake is called Ape Lake, this area goes to the north almost a hundred miles from here and goes fifty miles to the south of here; it is almost 80 miles wide, it is a big place to hide in."

He looked at his audience expectantly, then Sigurd nodded and said, "Aye, that it is, that it is." Roger said quietly, "The people that named it Ape Lake, named it that for a reason. Indian, er, the Wee Red Men, legends tell of giants living in this region, I came here to see why there are legends about this valley and why the names Ape Lake or Ape Mountain?"

Sigurd frowned in thought and asked, "Will there be others like you coming here tae our land?"

Roger commented, "I doubt it, the Canadian government has declared this region to be a natural area and only authorized people are allowed to come here."

One of the brothers asked, "Can, adian gov' ment?"

Roger replied, "Canadian government, this land is called Canada and the government is the people who decide what the land of Canada will do."

He looked around and declared, "Basically, it means that this forest is not to be touched by people who don't have leave to be here."

Sigurd glanced at the approaching dusk and said simply, "We are going back to our homes, ye are welcome tae come with us. The bears will be comin' down to feed and drink from the lake, we leave them alone and they leave us alone, they won't know ye!"

Roger grinned and said cheerfully, "You don't have to ask twice!" The giants rose and stretched a bit while Roger hastily gathered his few things, then he fell in with them and tried to match their strides, after a few moments he gave up and simply walked along with Freya who was his own height. She smiled shyly at him and clasped his hand in hers as they walked to Roger's slight embarrassment.

They walked into the forest 'til Roger could no longer see the lake, then after passing a great verge of rock to the right, entered a dingle.

The trees surmounting this rocky cleft were some of the largest Roger had ever seen; hoary with moss covered age, they spread their mighty limbs to form an evergreen roof over the dell.

The scent of pine filled the air and Roger slowly began noticing the houses; great slabs of stone tilted up and braced with more stone to form doors and windows.

Ensconced amongst the great boles and roots, these stony constructs were roofed with a deep covering of mold and earth many feet thick and each hosted a riot of ferny growths reaching for the soft light filtering through the piney roof.

Roger simply stopped in his tracks and stood gape mouthed at what he was seeing, a village of frost giants; the children of utgard, the land of ice and snow and rock.

Freya realizing that her new friend had stopped, stopped herself and turned around to see Roger standing in wide eyed wonder, she called to him, "Roger? We are not at our house yet, why are ye stopped?"

Roger grinned at her and said, "I was just so... amazed at these houses! I hope your father will let me take pictures of them."

Freya walked up to him grasped his hand and then by tugging on it, she pulled Roger along with impressive strength for one so young.

Freya pulled him along until they stopped at a dolmenic structure set against the sloping mountainside, soft light emanted from within the structure.

Here, Freya released his hand and declared, "This is our home!"

Sigurd smiled at him and said good naturedly, "It seems me youngest has taken a shine to yer!"

He then called out in his great voice, "Gudrun! We are home and we have a visitor!"

Moments later, a heroic figure stepped out of the stony portal.

She was fully nine feet tall and dressed in a homespun wool shirt and voluminous skirt, a knit shawl covered her shoulders and upper body.

Leather boots covered her feet and ankles. Her hair was a honey gold color and was braided into two thick braids, hanging nearly down to her ample hips.

On her pleasant, rosy cheeked face was a bemused expression and with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes she asked, "And where did we find one o' the little folk? Was he lost?"

Freya spoke up, "I saw him down at the loch, mamma. I heard him coming with a wee tinkling sound, so I hid and watched him make a camp and catch fish with a fishing pole. I never saw his like around here before and he talked to me and offered me a fish."

Sigurd chuckled and said in his rumbling voice, "He offered each of us a fish, Gudrun."

Gudrun placed her hands on her ample hips, raised one blonde eye brow and said with a smile, "So now our youngest has brought home a suitor?"

Roger hastily yelped,"It was all a misunderstanding! I was just being hospitable, I didn't know she was so young! I didn't know she was a frost giant until she told me her age!"

To his great relief, Gudrun grinned at him and laughed heartily before she placed her massive right hand on his shoulder and said cheerfully, "Wee folk always think our bairns are just like them, once we get past puberty we nae longer go amongst the little folk. You're the first wee one tae visit our home in many years."

Having recovered his composure, Roger asked incredulously, "You send your children into town to meet humans? Is that how you learned English or at least your own version of it?"

"Aye stranger," spoke one of her brothers, the smallest one, he was only seven feet tall. "I went into town and sold furs tae get things we canna make here." he patted his hunting knife for emphasis, "Once I grew past th' mark on th' doorway, I no longer went tae town."

He pointed at a notch cut into the door frame, it was at Roger's height. Roger glanced at Freya and said, "I take it she still goes into town. Doesn't she have some sort of escort, y'know, somebody watching out for her?"

All of the towering males smiled at him and Sigurd said, "O'course! We wait in the woods and when she comes back out o'town, we divvy up the goods and leg it back home."

Roger smiled and remarked, "I'm glad to hear it."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once inside the dwelling, Roger felt rather cozy and he took off his jacket, Sigurd and the rest shed their furry clothing, even with the outer garments removed, they still were quite large and filled the room with their looming bulks.

Freya, now wearing a skirt and blouse with a shawl, was the only one his own size and she was a child!

They were all seated around the great table nearest the kitchen, all of them looking at Roger expectantly.

He glanced at each of them in turn and said, "I talked about who I am and what I do, down at the lake. As most of you already know, I came here looking for you, I came looking for why this area is called 'Ape Mountain' and why 'Ape Lake'? The outfit I work for looks for people out of legend, the source of the tales from olden days."

He grinned and said cheerfully, "I didn't expect to meet living descendants of the frost giants from the Norse legends and I suspect, the source of the Sasquatch legends too."

Roger held up his satellite phone and said, "Pretty soon, this device will let me know my boss is here down by the lake and is waiting for me to bring her to you."

"Her?" asked Gudrun.

Roger smiled at her and replied, " Rachel Thompson, I work for her and she wants to meet your people. Maybe this'll help?"

He picked up his tablet and accessed the files on his partner George. Opening up the files, he opened the photos and held the tablet up for them to see.

There on the glowing screen was Roger and George standing next to a very happy Mia with a baby lamia held in each arm.

Mia's massive pythonic tail was plainly visible in the photo.

"By the Gods! What is that?" cried Sigurd, "A serpent woman?"

Roger said simply, "She is a lamia and she came from Algeria in the southern Saharan desert, the other man in the picture is George, her husband and those are their children. I am their uncle, sort of."

Gudrun raised an eyebrow and said,"Sort of an uncle?"

Roger grinned and replied, "George is sort of like a younger brother to me, like the one I never had. So I am their uncle, even if there is no blood relation."

"Ah!" replied Gudrun.

Dinner was served, Roger sat staring at the steaming roast set before him, it had been called elk, he knew that elk lived in the region, he had eaten elk, he liked elk, just not this much, elk.

He finally asked, "What if I can't finish this? I'm not used to eating so much meat at one time." Gudrun smiled at him and said cheerfully, "Eat as much as you like, my brood will take whatever is left!"

True to her word, the rest of the meat did find a willing appetite.

Feeling comfortably full, Roger got out his satellite phone and called his boss.

Rachel answered within a few rings, "Roger? Where are you? We're at Ocean Falls airport 's your status?"

Roger replied cheerfully, "I am safely indoors, I've just eaten enough roast elk to choke a lion and I am enjoying some real hospitality, courtesy of Sigurd's wife Gudrun and her family."

Gudrun who was sitting there watching Roger talk on his phone, plainly heard Rachel say, "I shall have to personally thank her for taking such good care of you, shall I bring her a gift?"

Roger chuckled and said, "You could ask her yourself, she's sitting right next to me." with that, he handed the phone to Gudrun saying, "My boss, Rachel Thompson would like to ask you something!"

Gudrun took the to her, toylike phone and said, "Hello?"

"Hello Gudrun, my name is Rachel Thompson and my man Roger tells me you've made him feel welcome!" Gudrun replied, "I only did tha' right thing, the bears are big around here and I canna leave any o'the wee folk out in this forest at their mercy. Besides, he fed me family a fish lunch!"

Rachel chuckled and replied, "I do thank you for taking him in, he was abandoned by his guide and left to his fate in the forest. We are coming to get him tomorrow and will meet him at the lake, I would like to give you a little gift to say thank you! Is there anything you would like?"

Gudrun looked thoughtful for a moment and declared, "I would like some green foods, some p'taters, carrots and onions, salt, pepper, spices and such, fer variety in me cookin'."

Rachel laughed and happily declared, "You got it! We'll bring some things with us tomorrow. Please hand this back to Roger if you could, and thank you again!"

The next morning, Roger found himself surrounded by curious giants both young and old.

He took numerous photos for his own journal of gigantic tow headed toddlers swaying precariously as they struggled to master walking, a white haired, withered crone smiling at her great-grandchildren while their parents beamed with pride.

The giants were quite amiable about letting him take pictures of their homes and the hidden dell they lived in.

They all fell silent when Roger's satellite phone chimed and listened while he spoke to Rachel, "Hi Rachel, how far out are you?"

"We're readying the chopper now, we can be there within the hour, you might want to head towards the lake."

Roger replied, "We're leaving now, I've got to say my goodbyes though, it wouldn't be right to eat and run!"

Roger turned to his towering hostess Gudrun, smiled at her and said, "I really appreciate your having me last night, I was all prepared to spend the night hiding under a tree and waving a sharp stick at the bears. Meeting Freya was a real stroke of good fortune and all I can say is thank you!" Gudrun smiled at him, her rosy cheeked face was all smiles as she reached out and engulfed him in an immense hug.

Roger's arms could barely encircle her waist as she squeezed him in a very motherly fashion. Stepping back she dabbed at a tear and said "Yer most welcome laddie! It were a rare pleasure talkin' tae a wee one like yer self."

They set out for the lake and once again, Freya took his hand and walked with him.

They all wore their furs and resembled a band of erect Kodiak bears more than any humans, even Gudrun was with them, she was curious to meet his 'boss' as he had referred to Rachel.

Members of several other families also walked with them.

Roger strode along, manfully trying to keep pace with his hosts, the tiny bell on his pack frame tinkling merrily.

Gudrun remarked candidly, "We shan't be seein' anythin' w'that wee tinkle o'yourn."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "I'm not armed, my guide stole my grandfather's rifle and left me flat. I figured the bell would warn bears that I was coming so they'd hide themselves or at least go away."

Soon, they arrived at the edge of the forest and stood just inside the tree line, waiting for the helicopter to arrive.

Roger called Rachel, "We're here just inside the tree line, when I see you, I'll come out by myself so my hosts won't be seen."

Rachel chuckled and replied, "You needn't worry, Henri is piloting the chopper. Tell Gudrun I've brought what she asked for! See you in ten minutes!"

Roger laughed and said cheerfully, "Be prepared to get the biggest hug of your life!"

A few minutes later, the helicopter appeared on the horizon and quickly grew larger until it slowed to a hover.

Freya clapped her hands and cried happily, "It's so grand!" Roger strode from the forest and waved at the hovering chopper, a hand waved back from the pilot's side of the craft and it eased down onto the rocky lake shore.

The spinning rotors slowed to a stop and the doors opened, Rachel who was dressed in a flight suit, climbed out and waved at him.

She and Roger shook hands and he said happily, "Am I glad to see your face!"

He glanced over her shoulder at Henri's grinning face and cried, "Yours Too, Henri!"

Rachel grinned at him and said expectantly, "Where are your friends?"

Roger turned and waved at the forest, Freya came out first, smiling hugely, her rosy cheeks redder than usual.

She came right up to Rachel and Rachel shook her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Freya, thank you for helping Roger!"

Freya blushed brightly and stammered, "Y...Yer welcome!"

Moments later, the rest of the giants emerged from the forest, Rachel's eyes grew very big and she muttered, "My God... They're huge!"

Gudrun strode a bit faster and soon stood looming over Rachel's five foot five inch frame, Rachel extended her hand and marveled as Gudrun's huge, work roughened hand engulfed hers.

Rachel grinned up at her and said, "Roger wasn't kidding when he said you were giants! Thank you for helping Roger, we really appreciate what you did for him!"

Henri had opened up the side doors and he cried, "'Allo everybodee! We 'ave things for you to take wiz you."

Sigurd, who had joined Gudrun in greeting Rachel, glanced at his people and they lined up and each took a burlap bag or a box from the now toylike helicopter.

Roger put his backpack inside the helicopter and said cheerfully, "You have no idea how tired I am of carrying that heavy thing!"

Rachel smiled at the assembled giants and said, "I brought with me things that will remember the stories you have to tell, if you talk to these things they will remember your voice and your exact words, exactly the way you said it. I also have things that will remember how you look, how your houses look and how your old ones and young ones look. We travel the world looking for the people from the great tales of olden times. We talk to these people, we remember these people and if they are not safe, we find a way to protect them or a new home to live in."

Rachel spoke to the now more curious giants, saying, "With your leave, we'd like to spend a day or two, talking to those whose age or health may not have allowed them to come down here today. We have brought our own food and drink and we have camping gear to stay in, so none of you will be imposed upon."

Gudrun smiled when Rachel had finished and she replied firmly, "Ye'll be stayin' inside our homes with us at night, th' great bears know to leave us be, but you they don't ken. We canna have it be said we warn't good hosts! Bring yer food and drink though!"

Both Rachel and Henri laughed and grinned.

Once again, Roger shouldered his pack and fell in with the rest of the group making their way from the empty helicopter to the cozy dell sheltering the giants hidden hamlet.

Once again, Freya took his hand and walked alongside him, to his co-workers amusement and his slight embarrassment and once again, Sigurd chuckled good naturedly about his youngest and her crush on poor Roger.

By midmorning, the party had returned to the dingle and the two newcomers were introduced to the older giants there.

Before long, Roger was busy with his digital recorder recording the stories as told by Iduna, grandmother to Freya; while Henri took videos of the giants going about their daily business. Rachel had been speaking at length with Sigurd and Gudrun about the cryptozoology museum and its mission.

When to Rachel's surprise, Gudrun asked her, "Could ye possibly take our Freya with you, when you leave?"

Rachels eyes went wide and she blurted out, "What?! Did I hear you right? You want us to take Freya with us?"

Gudrun smiled at her and said with a hint of sadness, "She is our family's youngest bairn and seeing you folk wi'yer wondrous things, made us see that we canna hide in the forests forever. In the past, we sent our young ones to trade with the wee folk who would buy our furs and pelts. Now we don't get too much for them and it's not worth the effort to take more furs than we need for clothing. Freya is young, she can learn how to live amongst the wee folk, she can tell the wee folk about us and how we want to be friends."

Rachel chuckled softly and remarked, "Roger, is going to have kittens!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That night, Gudrun sat with Sigurd at the great table set up outside for all to sit at. She stood and cleared her throat to speak, the murmuring voices fell silent as she waited for their attention.

"Me husband and I have made a decision... We have asked our wee guests tae take our precious lass, Freya with them.."

The silence was almost palpable as the announcement sunk in, then... "Whaatt?!" or a variation of it burst forth from the assemblage. Drowned out by the great voices around him, Roger's own squawk went unnoticed.

And Freya's face broke out into a big smile while Henri grinned.

When the uproar had calmed somewhat, Gudrun spoke again, "We did'na make this choice lightly, but Freya is our youngest bairn and she can learn the ways o'the wee folk, she can tell them of us and our story."

Roger was frantically waving his hands for attention until Gudrun asked, "Is there somethin' ye'll be wantin' tae say?"

Roger stood up and blurted out, "Where is she going to stay? Who is she going to stay with?" Sigurd smiled at him and in his basso rumble of a voice said, "Why, with you o'course!"

Roger gaped and was about to object when Freya's hand sought his and squeezed it gently, the girl had hardly left his side since he'd met her.

"She's fond o'ye and trusts ye."

Roger finally got his voice back and he almost wailed, "I'm more than old enough to be her father, I've been married and divorced twice now, believe me, I am not domesticated!"

Gudrun laughed and said playfully, "We're not askin' ye tae marry her, we know you're much older, we're askin' yer t'be like her father and take care of her among the wee folk."

Roger looked frantically at Rachel and she said evenly, "They have a point Roger, how much longer before someone else stumbles across them. Circumstances then might not be so favorable, this way we have more access to them and through our connections with the Canadian government. We can work towards establishing this forest as a world heritage site."

Roger sat down and grumbled, "I'm gonna have to get a bigger place to live in then, my little one bedroom ain't going to be near big enough for two of us, and she's a growing girl. My ceilings aren't gonna be near high enough for her at full growth!"

He looked at Freya for a long moment and said firmly, "You're going to have live by my rules, bedtime's at ten and no snacking between meals!" The girl broke out into a big grin and hugged him spontaneously. Roger turned beet red at her hugging him while Henri broke out in laughter and said playfully, "Roger, always such a ladies man before, now this. Tamed by a young giantess!"

After a night of feasting and listening to the bard telling tales from the ancient days when the frost giants were feared and respected. During the feast, Roger and his two co-workers had listened to and recorded everything they heard.

The gray light of dawn found the giants clustered around the 'wee ones' as they were called and wished Freya well in her journey from hearth and home. Hoisting the bundle of Freya's things to his massive shoulders, Sigurd and Gudrun led the party back to the lake shore and the waiting helicopter.

There was a round of bone bruising hugs from both parents and her brothers, Freya boarded the helicopter and dabbed at her tears while Henri went through the preflight checks. The spinning rotors gained speed as her family stood watching the lift off.

Freya was after all, the first frost giant to ever fly in a helicopter and they were determined to see her off safely. The chopper rocked slightly as it parted ways with the rocky shoreline and rose into the bright morning sky. Henri flew the chopper to Ocean Falls airport which was about an hour's flight away from the lake. There they transferred to the private jet on loan from the hidden realm and were soon on their way south.

Once they reached cruising altitude, the seat belt lights went out and Rachel came over to Freya with some paperwork to give her. "This is your entry visa, we got your birth date from your parents. Officially you're a Canadian citizen and you're here as a transfer student. We have a school we can enroll you in so you'll meet other children your own age and make some new friends."

Rachel studied Freya's expression for a moment then said, "You are going to stand out Freya, you're already six feet tall and you're still a child. Some kids might say mean things to you and might even try to hurt you, remember that you are a frost giant and will always be bigger and stronger than your fellow students. Roger will be your foster parent during all of this and he will deal with any problems you might have in school."

Freya smiled shyly at her and replied, "I'll remember that ma'am, I mustn't play tae rough with the wee bairns in me new school."

Rachel grinned and remarked, "Something like that!"

Roger cleared his throat and remarked, "Speaking of all that, I'm gonna have to find a bigger place. A one bedroom is not acceptable for this arrangement, Freya needs a room of her own. She deserves better than sleeping on my couch and living out of a suitcase."

Rachel smiled at him and replied, "I already have some people looking into that right now. So far, they've found a nice craftsman bungalow with three bedrooms, two baths and lots of closets, it's near the edge of town and right near the school Freya will be going to."

They landed at the airport outside of Portland, Oregon. Getting through customs went smoothly and soon, they were settled into a shuttle van and bound for Roger's apartment.

Surprisingly, Freya attracted little more than a cursory glance, mostly because of her hand woven clothing more than her height. The customs agent seemed to completely miss that she was so young for being six feet tall.

Arriving at his apartment. Roger opened the door and stepped to one side to allow Freya to enter first.

What she saw was organized chaos, book cases lined the walls and groaned under the weight of many thick volumes of forgotten lore.

A roll top desk was partly hidden by the thick file folders stacked semi-neatly on it. Near the front door, a deeply patinaed shell casing from a huge German cannon held Roger's collection of umbrellas and walking sticks while a massive pair of elk antlers supported his hats.

Roger hastily cleared the couch and gestured for Freya and Rachel to sit. He swept into the kitchen and in moments, had water heating for tea or instant coffee.

Glancing up from the tray he was arranging, Roger declared, "As you can see, I don't get many visitors here and I've not shared my place with anyone in years." Rachel grinned at him and remarked, "Honestly, your place is nice, it's what I would expect an adventurerer-scholar to live like actually."

Roger grinned at her and remarked,

"I used to have a lot more stuff in here before I signed up with the museum. Much of my collection is now in the museum on a long term loan."

Coming out of the kitchen, he set the well laden tray on the coffee table and sat down across from his guests.

There was a brief interlude while Rachel and Freya availed themselves of the proffered beverages and sweets. With steaming mugs in their hands they sat back and sipped at the hot beverages.

Freya sipped at her hot cocoa and her face lit up in delight.

"Och! T'is a wonder! I've ne'er tasted anythin' like this. What is it called?" she cried happily.

Roger grinned and replied, "It's just some instant hot cocoa, it's nothing really. I just didn't want to give you coffee just yet." still grinning, he shrugged and remarked, "I guess you've never tasted hot cocoa before. Well, little lady, you will be experiencing a lot of new tastes living here with me."

Afterwards, Roger showed Freya about his apartment, he showed her the bathroom and demonstrated how to turn on the water in the sink and the shower, he flushed the toilet and explained that the shower was for washing overall, the toilet was for relieving herself and the sink was for washing her face and hands.

Taking her into the bedroom Roger declared, "You'll be sleeping in here for now and I'll sleep on the couch. Once we get a bigger place, you'll have your own bedroom all to yourself."

Rachel said, "In the morning we can go check out that craftsman bungalow our people found." Roger asked, "Where is this place you've mentioned?"

"It's towards the western side of town, it's fairly rural and the bungalow sits on a two acre lot with lots of trees."

Roger woke to the sounds of quiet conversation emanating from his kitchen, remembering that he had guests, he rose from the couch and slipped into bathroom to grab a quick shower.

Standing in the warm stream cascading down his nakedness, Roger scrubbed away the accumulation of grime from his woodland adventures.

While he was washing his sandy colored hair, the water suddenly turned ice cold and he yelled as he frantically dodged the frigid stream, "Hey! I'm in the shower! Turn that off!" moments later, the water became warm again and he heard Rachel calling out, "Sorry! Didn't know you were up!"

Having finished dressing, Roger entered the tiny kitchen and joined his guests. Freya was smiling at him as he came into the kitchen, "Good morrow!" she said, "'tis a fine day today." Roger grinned at his towering young guest and said cheerfully, "It is a good morning Freya, did you sleep well last night?"

The girl looked thoughtful and commented, "'twas verra quiet, me father and brothers snore verra loudly and it was 'most too quiet!"

Roger's eyes met Rachel's and she said, "It was pretty quiet for me too, my husband does snore a bit while you hardly snore. What's your secret?"

Roger laughed and got out the orange juice to pour some for everybody, "I wish I knew, none of my ex's ever remarked about my snoring, that's for sure. They found other things to complain about!"

Sitting down with the others, Roger began tucking into his breakfast while Rachel announced, "We're going to look at this craftsman bungalow I mentioned, I think you'll like it. The whole ground floor has twelve foot ceilings and the second floor has ten foot ceilings. There is a work shed behind the house and everything sits on a two acre lot right near the woods."

Roger grinned and remarked, "Freya will like that, a woods she can go walking in."

A half an hour of driving later, they pulled into a long driveway, drove up to the house and stopped.

Roger whistled softly and said quietly, "Talk about understatement, this house is great!" They met with the realtor and she let them enter the house. Once inside, practically the first thing Roger noticed was the display cases built into the walls with storage cabinets right underneath them.

Roger commented, "I like the display cases and all the book cases." Freya was fascinated by all of the leaded glass windows and the high ceilings with the high windows letting in plenty of light. She commented, "'Tis so many windows and so much light coming in, 'tis like how I dreamt a faerie house would look like inside!"

She craned her neck and looked up at the high ceiling, declaring happily, "Me father could stand up straight in here!" The realtor glanced at her quizzically and said, "Your daughter has quite an imagination!"

Roger just grinned at her and replied, " She's not my daughter, I'm her foster father, she came from Canada."

"Oh" replied the realtor.

The grounds was what sold the house to Roger, there was room for a large vegetable garden and several fruit trees promised a bountiful crop of peaches and nectarines come the fall.

Glancing around one last time Roger looked at Rachel and said, "I like it, we will be very comfortable here. The grounds are large enough for a bit of privacy and growing things. The neighborhood seems to be nice and the nearby woods is the best part."

Rachel smiled at him and replied, "We'll get it then." She turned to the realtor and declared, "We'll take it, how soon can we move in?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of packing, moving, unpacking, getting Freya registered for school and Roger adapting to a big change in his life.

Roger hovered nervously nearby as museum staffers combined their knowledge and tried to cram as much of it as they could into Freya's head before she went to school for the first time.

Freya, while she could read and write had very little exposure to the outside world and knew very little about math beyond simple arithmetic and science.

The museum staff undertook to correct that so her days were spent poring over books and practicing her writing and her speaking, the object being to tone down her thick accent a bit.

The warm summer days were ending soon and she would be entering Chapman Elementary School in the fall. She also grew and now stood over six feet tall, a normal growth rate for a frost giant.

Roger waited nervously out in the hallway while Freya entered her 4th grade classroom for the first time.

The teacher, Mrs. Lee, a diminutive Asian woman broke out into a big smile and the other children fell silent at the sight of Freya looming in the doorway. "Everybody, this is Freya Sigurdsdottir, she's new to our country and to this school, please make her feel welcome!"

Freya smiled at her classmates and said cheerfully, "Good morrow everyone!"

Mrs. Lee guided her to the desk that had been borrowed from the high school to fit her and handed her her school books.

One of the boys raised his hand and waved it around until Mrs. Lee said, "Yes Tommy, what is it?" The boy looked at Freya and blurted out, "How come she's so big?"

Mrs. Lee frowned slightly and replied, "Remember your manners Tommy, is that a polite question?" A tiny black girl said assertively, "She's not so big, my uncle Len is taller than her!"

Another child blurted out "She's our age silly, she'll get bigger!"

Freya laughed and replied to everyone there, "I'm th' same age as all of yer, ten summers. Me kin folk are up in Canada and if ye think I'm big, wait'll ye see me dad!"

That broke the ice and Roger slipped away content that Freya would make new friends at her new school.

As he headed towards the exit, a voice called out to him, "Mr. Tate?, Mr. Tate?"

He stopped and turned to see Mrs. Simonds with some sort of paperwork in her hand scurrying towards him, she stopped and paused a moment as if to catch her breath. "Yes, Mrs Simonds, what is it?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and said, "I need you to sign these documents and get Freya's shot records for our files."

Roger took the proffered papers and said, "I can fill these out tonight, can't I? I thought you had her shot records already?"

Mrs. Simonds looked a bit confused and said, "Did you give us a copy already?"

Roger nodded and she said, "Never mind the shot records then, could you fill out her ethnicity survey then?"

Roger looked at her for a moment and asked, "Is that important? She is a Canadian native, does it matter?"

"I'm afraid it does, the school district needs a survey of all the ethnic groups our students belong to." Roger laughed and replied, "She doesn't belong to any of the recognized ethnic groups, her people are pretty unique!"

Mrs. Simonds looked at him and said in a serious tone, "How unique could she be? Aside from her size, she looks like any other Caucasian girl to me."

Roger just grinned and said, "Trust me, the school district has never had one of the Jotunheim attending classes."

"Jotunheim?"

"Frost giants, Google it, Mrs. Simonds." replied Roger.

Mrs. Simonds eyes widened a bit and she blurted out, "Frost giants? As in Norse mythology frost giants? They don't exist, they're a myth!"

"Correction: Were a myth. I met her people last summer, her parents asked me to take her with me, to let her see the outside world. Do you remember that big guy in those boy wizard at school books and movies, the one that looked like a mountain of hair and beard?" Mrs. Simonds nodded, "Well, her father Sigurd and her mother Gudrun, they each make him look like a mere boy by comparison." said Roger with a grin.

Roger returned home to continue unpacking his books, the new house with its spacious book cases begged to have them filled with his books and he was going to make a good effort at filling them while Freya was at her new school. At noon, his labors were interrupted by a phone call, glancing at the phone, he saw it was from Mrs. Simonds at the school.

"Hello?" he answered, "Mr. Tate?" asked Mrs. Simonds, "Yes, speaking." "Freya got into a fight..." "Whaaat?! She got into a fight? I'm on my way!"

Before Mrs. Simonds could reply, Roger had grabbed his keys and was out the door and starting his car.

A few minutes later, Roger entered the school's administrative offices. He saw Freya calmly sitting in a chair and sitting across the room from her were three boys and they looked a bit the worse for wear, the largest one was sporting the beginnings of a real shiner of a black eye and another was holding a sore jaw while the last one was holding back his tears. Freya, on the other hand looked remarkably fresh.

Roger grinned at her and he entered Mrs. Simonds' office. Mrs. Simonds looked up at him and she said, "What I was trying to tell you on the phone is that she is alright and you didn't have to come in to see me."

Roger shrugged and replied, "I've never been a foster parent before, this is all new to me."

He jerked a thumb towards the outside room and asked, "So, what happened?" Mrs. Simonds smiled at him and she said quietly, "Those three are the worst bullies we have and this time, they picked on the wrong girl."

Roger frowned and remarked, "Is this going to become an ongoing thing with those clowns? Why haven't they been disciplined?"

Mrs. Simonds sighed and replied, "It's complicated. First off, most of their victims wouldn't come forward for fear of retaliation and letters to their parents have had little effect. The leader, the one with the shiner, his 'daddy' is a local character who throws his weight and money around."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "I've run into his kind before. He won't scare me."

Mrs. Simonds grinned and remarked, "Between you and me, what happened to those idiots was long overdue and coming from a 'mere girl' has to be especially painful."

Roger smirked and commented, "Freya has four older brothers and her father is like a chieftain or headman of the village she grew up in. Those boys must've been nothing to her."

Roger smiled at Mrs. Simonds and asked, "So what do you want me to do? I could have a talk with her, but she does have the right to defend herself and I won't deny her that right."

She smiled back at him and replied, "You don't have to do anything, Freya will not be disciplined as they started it. I will be sending them home with letters of suspension for their actions and the school district will look into transferring them to separate schools, to 'break up the gang' so to speak."

Roger grinned and commented, "Well then, shall I come back to get her after classes then?" Mrs. Simonds shrugged and replied, " Since you're here,you might as well take her home now and let things cool off here. She's not in trouble and there won't be any actions, I just want things to quiet down."

The two exited her office and Roger grinned at Freya, she smiled back at him and he said cheerfully, "C'mon kiddo, let's go home!"

She gathered her long legs to stand up when a large, florid faced man came barging in. "What th' hell happened here?" he bellowed then he glanced at the boy with the growing black eye, "Who did this?" he demanded, "Who hit my boy?"

He turned to Mrs. Simonds and loudly declared, "I'll have your job for this! Who hit my boy?" Freya stood up and declared, "I hit 'im, an' I'll gladly do it again!" the man rounded on her and seemingly drew back his hand to strike her when Roger growled, "Try to touch her and I will drop you!"

He looked at Roger in surprise then demanded, "You her dad?" Roger smiled tightly and replied, "Foster father, her real father could eat you alive!"

He glared and stuck his finger in Roger's face, "You better watch your ass fellah! And put a leash on that freak of yours!"

Roger grinned at him and retorted, "If anyone needs a leash, it's that boy of yours. Didn't you ever teach him it's not nice to hit girls? Some example you are."

The man looked Roger up and down and saw his lean, sunburnt, rangy frame and relaxed, loose limbed posture. He turned even redder than before and he grabbed his son by arm and growled, "Let's get out of here!"

"Mr. Turner!" cried Mrs. Simonds, he paused a moment and she handed him a letter before declaring, "Your son is now suspended for bullying and I will be requesting he be transferred to a different school as soon as possible!" Turner's face turned black with rage and he tore the letter into pieces before hurling it to the floor.

He suddenly lunged towards Mrs. Simonds and Roger deftly pinned his arm behind his back and spun him to the floor where he landed on his stomach with Roger kneeling on his spine.

Roger said quietly, "Mister, you need to calm down before someone gets hurt!"

Turner lay there panting in his impotence, he was pinned and he knew it. "Alright, alright...I give...Let me up...Please!" he gasped and Roger straightened up again.

Roger held out his hand to offer assistance to Turner but he shrugged it off and scrambled to his feet, his face still red with anger. He glared at his son and the two left in a hurry, he could be heard muttering and cursing all the way out to the parking lot.

Roger glanced at the two remaining boys and asked Mrs. Simonds, "Would you like me to stick around until they've been picked up by their parents, just in case?"

Mrs. Simonds smiled at him and replied, "That won't be necessary Mr. Tate, the school police are on the way and should be here very shortly. I do appreciate the offer though and I thank you for your help. That man has been a problem for a while now and having you stand up to him like that must've been a real surprise for him."

Roger grinned at her and said, "I'm gonna take Freya home now and we'll have a little chat about what happened today."

He held out his hand and Freya smiled as she took it and they left the school. Heading out to the parking lot, they saw the school police arriving as they were leaving. Roger nodded at them and they acknowledged his nod with their own. A few minutes later Roger steered his car into a parking lot and he stopped outside the ice cream shop with its multitude of flavors, Freya clapped her hands in delight, she loved ice cream and always liked to try a new flavor each time they stopped by.

The lady behind the counter grinned at her and said, "Hi Freya! I swear you're getting taller every time I see you, it's hard to believe you're only 10 years old."

Freya smiled at her and replied, "Hi Mrs. Lambert! Today I wanna try a bit'o p, pine apple sherbet?" Mrs. Lambert laughed and said cheerfully, "You can call me Sophie you know and pineapple sherbet it is!" as she reached into the cold cabinet and deftly scooped up a ball of the frozen concoction.

"Och, I canna be so familiar, yer a grown up an' I am only a young'un!" replied Freya to Sophie's remarks.

Sophie handed her the paper cup with the sherbet in it and said cheerfully, "Suit yourself then, most of the kids around here just call me Sophie."

They enjoyed the frozen treat and thanked Sophie as they left her shop. Driving back to the house, Roger asked quietly, "So, what happened?"

Freya sat quietly for a few moments, then she said, "We were at recess an' th' louts came up to us an' asked me who I be with me funny garb, an' way o'talkin', an' me size." Roger nodded. "Th' leader asked me if I was a boy'r a girl, then he tried to put 'is hands on me whilst 'is lackeys grabbed me arms." she paused, "I defended meself."

Roger grinned and said reassuringly, "You had every right to, who knows how far those idiots would've gone if you hadn't fought back."

To Roger's surprise, Freya scoffed and remarked, "It warn't no kinda fight, I only hit 'em the one time and they all started in cryin' and bawlin'! Like bairns they was!"

Roger laughed and said cheerfully, "I'd hate to see what your idea of a real fight is Freya!"

Then he said more seriously, " The only thing I'm gonna say about it is this. Remember your strength, you are stronger than people realize and soon you'll be stronger than me. I'd also like for you to write down just what happened today during recess. I've a feeling that Mr. Turner could be a problem down the road and you writing down what happened today could come in real handy."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning as Roger pulled up in front of the school to drop Freya off, he noticed the man he had confronted the day before and a couple of police officers standing outside the school gates, with them was the boy with the now rather impressive black eye. When Freya got out of his car, the boy pointed her out and the two police officers approached her, along with the boy's father.

Roger quickly called Mrs. Simonds, "Hello?" "Did you know that there's a couple of cops out here and they're with that Turner idiot?" he said. "Well, I certainly didn't call them! Let me call the school police and I'll be right out!"

Roger replied grimly, "I figured as much, I'll be standing by!" and he hung up.

Exiting his car, he strolled casually towards the small group.

Turner was being loud, "I told you that you weren't gonna get away with hitting my son...Arrest this...Girl, she hit my son and look at what she did to him!" Freya was standing there looking uncertain as to how to respond while the boy looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else.

The senior officer asked her, "Is this true? Did you hit him?" Freya nodded a 'yes' and replied, "I was defendin' meself, 'e was wantin' tae put 'is 'ands on me!"

Roger thought, " _They're scaring her, she's reverting to her thick accent!_ "

The two cops looked at each other and the younger officer demanded, "Where're you from?" Roger spoke up, "She's from Canada and I'm her foster father!"

Turner glared at him and Roger said casually, "Well Turner, we meet again, I see you brought some back up this time!"

The senior officer said to Roger, "I think we need to talk Mr.?" "Tate, Roger Tate. Here's my ID."

He handed the officer his ID and waited while the officer briefly looked it over then handed it back to him.

"So, what seems to be the problem here?" asked Roger.

The senior officer motioned for him to follow him a short distance away while the younger officer kept an eye on things.

The officer looked at him for a moment then said, "We got a complaint about your foster daughter, it seems she gave the Turner boy a much needed thumping!"

Hearing that comment, Roger relaxed and said, "So she's not in any trouble then?" "Not as far as I'm concerned!"

They were interrupted by the near simultaneous arrival of the school police and Mrs. Simonds the school's administrator.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded, then she glared at Turner and said, "What are you doing here? Your son is no longer a student here!"

He puffed himself up and declared, "I'm here to get justice for my son, she beat him up and look at his eye!"

He glared at Freya and said hotly, "I'll get you deported, you won't get away with hitting him!"

The seniormost school police officer approached Roger and the officer he was talking to, the two shook hands and the school officer said, "Sorry you guys got involved in this. It was a bullying incident that backfired on the boy and his two friends. She thumped all three of them when they tried to grope her and when his dad tried to assault Mrs. Simonds, Mr. Tate here pinned him down. I can give you copies of our report on this incident."

The police officer grinned and replied, "Yes, we'd like a copy for our records if you don't mind." Mrs. Simonds who was listening in, said cheerfully, "I thought you'd like a copy, I have one right here with me." and she handed over the copies.

During all this, a small crowd of parents children had gathered, listening to the dialogue between them.

The senior police officer turned to them and asked, "Is there something we can help you folks with?"

A heavyset woman stepped forward holding onto her chubby boy's hand, she asked, "Is this about that Turner boy being a bully?" gathering herself, she said grimly, "That boy and his friends have made my son's life a living hell, he's not very healthy with his asthma and his celiac disease, and they tormented him for being fat when he can barely do any exercise."

She gestured around at the other parents and declared, "All of our kids have been bullied by that little monster, and we couldn't get them to say anything because they were too scared to tell!"

She pointed at Mrs. Simonds and said, "We did talk to her, but unless the kids spoke up, we were powerless, and with his friends on the city council, we knew the city wouldn't help!"

A mumuring went through the crowd as she was speaking and a little girl in blonde pigtails came forward and cried, "You took my lunch money, you, you, big, butthead!"

She turned and stalked back to her embarrassed mother. She looked at her mother and declared stoutly, "Well, he is!"

Seeing that the situation was not in his favor anymore. Turner began mumbling, then he said to his son, "C'mon boy! We're getting out of here!"

The senior school police officer cried "Hold up there, mister!" Turner stopped and glared at the officer, "What is it, now?" he growled.

The officer said mildly, "Actually, you are under arrest for an attempted assault on a school administrator and trepassing on school property."

"Whaaat?!" roared Mr. Turner, "Whaddaya mean I'm under arrest?! I never touched her, you see any marks on her? Trespassing? What trespassing?" he said defensively.

"It's true you didn't touch me Mr. Turner, but how was I to know you weren't actually going to hit me? As far as trespassing is concerned, your son is no longer a student here and neither of you have any reason to be here, hence trespassing." said Mrs. Simonds.

She gestured at Roger and said, "If Mr. Tate hadn't intervened the way he did, it is possible I would have been assaulted in front of these children." a wave of her hand indicated Freya and the Turner boy standing nearby.

The senior school police officer reached for his handcuffs and began reading him his Miranda rights as he took Mr. Turner by the wrist and slipped on the cuffs. Turner remained stonily silent the whole time he was being arrested and led away in cuffs to be placed in the squad car.

The was a murmuring of approval as the small crowd dispersed into their cars with their kids in tow. Turner had been arrested and they were satisfied with that. His son stood silently with a far away look on his face until Mrs. Simonds asked him, "Have you contacted your mom yet?."

The boy shook his head and muttered, "I don't have a mom, she died when I was little. It's just dad and me."

She frowned and asked him, "Is there anyone at home to come get you?" The boy shrugged and remarked, "Just my dad's girlfriend, she lives with us."

"Could you call her and have her come get you?" The boy, with an air of resignation, pulled out his cell phone and hit a couple of buttons.

A few moments later he spoke, "Marlena? Yeah, dad got arrested and could you come get me? I'm at school." he paused and then cried in dismay, "What?! You're drunk already? It's not even nine o'clock yet... Nevermind, I'll walk home!" and he closed up his phone disgustedly. His eyes were brimming with held back tears as he said, "I can't get a ride, I can walk home from here." with a slight catch in his voice.

Roger suddenly found himself speaking up, "I can give you a lift home..."

Both the boy and Mrs. Simonds looked at him curiously, then Mrs. Simonds said firmly, "I can't allow that Mr. Tate. First off, you're not his parent or legal guardian and the school board would hang me if I let you take him anywhere without his father's permission, and after yesterday and today? I don't see him giving his consent at all."

Roger just shrugged and said pleasantly, "I was just offering the kid a lift. I get the whole rules and permission thing, it's just that I had a tough upbringing myself and wound up getting the option of the military or juvenile hall until I was 21. Naturally, I went into the marines."

Mrs. Simonds smiled at him and said gratefully, "I appreciate your offer anyway, even if I can't allow it."

The boy spoke up, "Mr. Tate?" "Yes?" "How long were you in the marines?" Roger grinned at the boy and replied "Four years, some of the stunts I pulled got me a four year enlistment, preferably overseas!"

He grinned again and said cheerfully, "I discovered I had an affinity for languages and finding lost things. I went to college in my spare time and majored in ancient history and Arabic languages."

That would make you an adventurer-scholar wouldn't it, Mr. Tate?" Asked Mrs. Simonds. "It sure would. The museum I work for sends me around the world looking for ancient legendary creatures and collecting tales of them. Freya is an example of what I do."

"You found her and brought her back here?" Asked the boy with a puzzled look.

Roger laughed and said, "More like she found me and introduced me to her people. Her parents asked me to take her with me so she could learn about the outside world and she could tell the world about her people."

"Just like that? They asked you to take her?" Asked Mrs. Simonds.

"It does seem a little weird, but she likes me and they trust her judgement." Replied Roger. "How long has she been here?"

"About three months, we spent a lot of time cramming basic math and English into her head before enrolling her in school. We also tried to tone down her accent a bit."

He grinned and remarked, "The kid also grew a couple of inches too, she'll get a lot taller, taller than almost anybody in Portland."

"How tall are we talking about?" Asked the boy, Roger grinned at him and replied, "About nine feet tall, her mom is about that height." The boy gaped and started blurting out, "No Fu...Freaking way!"

Roger grinned and said, "Nice save kiddo, and yes, way!"

Mrs. Simonds glanced at her watch and remarked, "I'll escort Freya to her classroom and make arrangements for Master Turner here to get a ride home."

Freya stepped close to Roger and hugged him briefly before she followed Mrs. Simonds and the Turner boy into the school building.

Roger called out suddenly, "Hey kid! I didn't get your name!" The boy turned around and said, "The name's Peter, dad calls me Pete."

Roger grinned and replied, "Okay, Pete it is. Try putting hot compresses on that eye of yours, it'll help the bruising and swelling go down quicker."

Pete looked at him and asked, "I don't get it, I did a bad thing and caused a bunch of trouble. Why are you being nice to me?"

Roger smiled at him and replied, "Because in you, I see myself about twenty-five years ago and If I can steer you away from that cliff you're headed for. I'll repay the man who helped me pull my head out of my own ass!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Unlike her first day at school, Freya's second day ended peaceably and she made a new friend. It was during lunch and Freya was curious about what the girl sitting next to her was eating and why she was using little pointed sticks to eat with instead of a fork or a spoon.

So she asked the girl with the yellow-brown skin and black hair and almond shaped eyes, "Excuse me, may I ask what that is yer eatin' and what're those sticks called?"

The girl looked at her in surprise.

Freya, at six foot three inches tall simply loomed over her, but her open expression and guileless, bright blue eyes bore no malice so she answered, "'t'sa bento box, my mom made it for me."

Picking up a small squid shaped sausage and popping it into her mouth she grinned and replied, "An' these're chopsticks!"

"Chopsticks? Bento box? I ne'er heard o'these afore." replied Freya.

The girl's face registered surprise and she blurted out, "You've never seen chopsticks before? You've never had Asian food before?"

Freya shook her head in a 'no' and said, "I grew up in th' forest, we did'na hae these sort o'things."

Putting down her chopsticks, the girl stuck out her hand and said pleasantly, "My name's Lorna, Lorna Yamada. Pleased to meet you!"

Freya grinned and took Lorna's much smaller hand in her own and replied, "Me name's Freya, Freya Sigurdsdottir. Pleasure tae meet yer too!"

Lorna grinned at her and said, "You talk kinda funny, where're you from?"

"I cam from Canada, from th' forest I grew up in." replied Freya.

Lorna shrugged and said, "Funny, I could'a sworn you sounded Scottish."

Freya smiled and said, "We did'na speak English when we cam o'er the sea. We learnt it from fur trappers and traders. Our own way o'talkin' sounds like this."

Freya rattled off a few phrases, then grinned at Lorna who grinned back and replied, "I like your funny version of English better!"

During recess, Freya got drafted into a basketball game with some older kids because of her height. She quickly picked up the idea of the game and soon, was dribbling the ball and shooting baskets with the best of them.

Roger Tate pulled up in his car and parked to wait for the dismissal bell to ring and the coming outflowing of children to be dispersed amongst the waiting parents.

The bell disrupted his musings about his new life as a responsible person and soon, like the other adults, he was watching the crowd for a sign of his towering charge.

He did not wait for long as her red-gold hair appeared well above the smaller children and made its way to the school gates.

Freya was chattering happily to someone in the crowd and as she drew nearer, Roger could see it was an Asian girl dressed in the combination of scuffed up sneakers, faded jeans, a small top and a long sleeve plaid shirt, that so many kids in the Portland area seemed to prefer.

The two girls came up to his car and Freya said cheerfully, "Roger, 'tis Lorna Yamada. I met 'er today at lunch."

Roger smiled at her and said, "Pleased to meet you Lorna."

Freya grinned and added, "She showed me how tae use chopsticks!" Roger laughed and said apologetically, "I've got sooo much to show her and no time to do it in!"

Lorna grinned and said cheerfully, "My folks have a ramen shop downtown, bring her down and we'll take real good care of her!"

Roger Laughed and replied, "Don't let her fool you, she can eat with the best of them!"

A non-descript older Honda sedan pulled up and tooted its horn.

Lorna hollered over her shoulder, "Be right with you mom!"

Roger glanced at Freya and said, "Go ahead and introduce yourself, your friend's mom will appreciate the gesture."

She nodded at him and went over to the Honda to speak to the woman sitting inside it. They spoke briefly and Freya shook hands with her while she handed a card to Freya.

Lorna got in the car and buckled in while her mom eased into traffic and sped off.

The drive home was routine and they drove along listening to the radio.

Arriving back home, Roger looked in the reefer while Freya changed out of her school clothes.

Seeing nothing that interested him, Roger looked at the card Lorna's mom had given Freya. Roger bellowed, "Freya! Get dressed, we're going out!"

An equally robust "Aye!" boomed from Freya's bedroom and a moment later she emerged wearing the Portland, Oregon standard attire of faded jeans, scuffed up sneakers, a smallish knit top and a loose plaid shirt worn over the smallish top.

Piling into his car, they set off for downtown, their destination: "Yamada Ramen Shop". Finding parking was a little trickier than finding the shop and soon, a smiling Mrs. Yamada was greeting them while Lorna grinned at them over her mom's shoulder.

Once seated, Roger perused the menu while Freya looked around at the decor and the other patrons.

Roger ordered a pork bone ramen and a side of gyoza, while after much thought, and a bit of prodding from Lorna; Freya ordered a beef curry over rice and a shrimp curry ramen.

Freya dug into her order with gusto, the tastes and textures were all new to her and she briefly fumbled with the chopsticks while Roger made it look easy.

Mrs. Yamada stopped by and asked how she was enjoying her order, Freya beamed and said happily, "'tis a wonder! I ne'er ate the like afore!"

Lorna, who had joined her, chuckled and said merrily, "She loves it!"

Mrs. Yamada smiled and replied, "I'm glad you like it so much." then she asked, "What grade are you in at school?"

Freya replied, "Fourth grade, ma'am!"

She looked a bit puzzled and said, "I would've thought you were in a much higher grade with your size and all. You're in the same grade as Lorna? Were you held back a year?" She blushed and said hastily, " I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry!"

Freya looked puzzled and replied, "Nae ma'am, I be only ten summers old, an' that's where they put me."

"Only ten? But, you're so tall!"

Lorna chimed in with, "She's the tallest person at school, taller than any of the teachers even."

Mrs. Yamada's normally placid expression turned to one of astonishment and she said, "Really? She's taller than even Mr. Johnson?"

"Yep! And she beat up Peter Turner and his friends, all three of them at once!"

"Whaat?!" cried Mrs. Yamada, catching herself she quickly composed herself and became the perfect hostess once more.

The other patrons briefly glanced over at them and seeing nothing of interest, resumed their eating and socializing.

In a softer voice Mrs. Yamada asked, "What do you mean 'she beat them up'? When did this happen?"

Lorna grinned and replied, "It was yesterday at recess, Peter and his friends started picking on her and I guess they went too far and she pounded them. I'm kinda sorry I missed it! The cops were called and the boys got expelled, it was pretty wild!"

Mrs. Yamada looked at Freya and asked her, "Why did they pick on you?"

"I canna say ma'am, they were pesterin' me friends an' I asked 'em tae stop. They thought I was a boy wi' long hair an' I told 'em I was a lass, so they tried tae put 'ands on me an' I gave 'em a wee bit'o a thumpin'. Like bairns they was, all a'cryin' an' a bawlin' after a couple o'hits. T'warn't nae fight in 'em a'tall!" Replied Freya scornfully.

Mrs. Yamada blinked a couple of times until Lorna said gleefully, "She kicked their asses, mom!" as she deftly collected the now empty dishes and quickly scurried them off to the back room for washing.

Mrs. Yamada looked at her daughter's rapidly retreating backside and muttered, "So rambunctious, not like a proper Japanese girl at all!"

Roger grinned at her and while handing over his credit card, he said, "Were any of us ever 'properly behaved' while growing up?"

Mrs. Yamada rang up the total, handed the slip to Roger, smiled slightly and nodded before saying in a sotto voice, "She doesn't know it yet, but I'm sending her to her aunt Meiko's in Japan this summer. She'll teach her a few things about proper behavior!"

Roger grinned and replied in a sotto voice, "Good luck with that!" Mrs. Yamada merely smiled as she accepted the credit card slip Roger had signed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Within a few weeks fall began and with it, preparations for Halloween. The conversations turned to what sort of costume the kids would be wearing for trick or treating and what neighborhood they would visit for the best candy.

All of this was new to Freya and when she was asked if she was going to be a Viking for Halloween, she asked, "What is a Viking?"

Lorna, who had asked the question exclaimed,"You've never heard of Vikings? You look just like one with your skin and hair color and your long braids and your freaking size!"

She showed her some pictures of Vikings and Freya said, "We knew them as 'Scandis', th' Scandis hunted us and forced us tae flee fer our lives tae here."

Lorna looked a bit surprised and she commented, "So, I take it you don't think much of the Norse gods like Odin and Thor and all of them?"

Freya scoffed and remarked, "Tae us, Odin and 'is sons were murderers and rapists, thieves an' brigands. They kilt us wi' sharp spears an' bright swords an' took our lands an' homes. Th' more we retreated, th' more they took. Finally, we sent out boats tae find a new land, one without th' Scandis. Further an' further west we looked, 'til we came tae a land wi' small red men who welcomed us, as we were so few in number."

Freya fell silent after her reply as if lost in thought.

Lorna said softly, "Wow, I didn't know...Sorry to hear that."

"'s'okay, ye didn'a ken, ye meant nae harm."

"You seem to know a lot about your people's history, is this something all Jotuns know?" queried a curious Lorna.

"Nae, me grandma is th' keeper o'the scrolls of our people. I learnt it from 'er." replied Freya with a grin.

Freya ended up wearing a homemade costume adapted from an animated movie about a frozen land and its icy princess.

Freya, with her long red-gold braids and her peaches and cream complexion, raked in the goodies from the houses she went to with Lorna.

She also experienced her first tummy ache from eating too much candy.

By now, Freya's novelty had worn off and she was now just another kid at Chapman Elementary School. Albeit, a very tall kid.

While she had not tried to draw attention to herself, her size and strength did stand out. An athletic ten year old girl standing over six feet tall was bound to get noticed and one day, Roger came out of their house to find a stranger standing there looking at the address.

"Can I help you, Mr...?" he asked.

"Phillips, Walter Phillips, I'm a scout looking for prospective players for the University of Portland's Women's Volleyball team, the Portland Pilots."

He handed Roger a business card and after he perused it for a few moments, Roger smiled at Walter and said, "The girl you're interested in is only ten years old and right now, she is enrolled in elementary school. Don't you think this is just a little premature?"

Walter looked a bit confused and asked, "You mean she's not a high schooler? But, she's so tall!"

Roger could only shrug as he replied, "Yeah, we get that a lot."

At that point, Freya herself came out of the house with her friend Lorna Yamada. Tucked under one arm was a basketball, a well used basketball.

She came over to Roger and announced, "We're headin' down tae shoot a few hoops afore dinner!"

Roger grinned and said, "Okay, have fun!" Then he paused and said, "This is Walter Phillips, he works for the University of Portland. He came out here to meet you, only to find out you're still too young for college."

Freya smiled at Walter and said, "Hello! I'm pleased tae meet yer!" and shook his hand. Roger grinned and said to her, "You two go play, I'm going to talk with Mr. Phillips here for a bit."

Moments later, as she and Lorna jogged down the winding street to the park's basketball courts.

Walter said, softly, "She's really only ten? She's gotta be..." "Six foot four, as of yesterday." answered Roger.

"Yeah, that!" replied Walter.

He looked at Roger and asked, "How tall is she likely to get? I don't mean to pry, but her growth rate is off the charts!"

Roger grinned at him and replied, "Actually, her growth rate is within the normal range. She will get quite a bit taller though and I hate to break it to you, but she's likely to end up being way too tall for women's volleyball."

Walter looked at him curiously and remarked, "So, how tall are we talking about? Professionally speaking of course!"

"Close to, or slightly taller than nine feet." replied Roger with a grin.

Walter looked at him with a deadpan expression and replied, "No way! The tallest man who ever lived was just under nine feet tall and he was virtually a cripple who needed leg braces just to stand up!"*

Freya comes from very tall people." replied Roger, "Her height is not unusual among her kind, in fact she's about the average, although she is considered a bit too thin."

"Too thin? She looked pretty healthy to me! Though a bit flat chested." remarked Walter. Roger shrugged and said, "I was told she is considered to be a bit too thin. Apparently, her people like their women robust!"

Walter shrugged and remarked, "All I know is that I was told about this tall girl who was quite the ball player and I was given this address. You're telling me she's going to be too tall for the team when she gets to college age and I'm thinking you're pulling my leg. And just what, IS her kind?"

Roger grinned and replied, "I thought you'd never ask!" And he briefly related the story of how he met her and her people hidden up in Canada.

When he was finished, he grinned at Walter's look of astonishment and said, "So, whaddaya think?"

Walter grinned back and replied, "I think I'm gonna keep an eye on your big girl, this ought to be interesting!" he paused a moment and asked, "Do you suppose she'd like to see the campus and meet some of the players at least?"

"I'll mention it to her and let you know what she says. My long range plan is to get her into college and your school is certainly conveniently located!"

The two men grinned at each other and shook hands before Walter Phillips climbed into his big Chevy Tahoe and drove off.

Two weeks later, Roger and Freya went to visit the University of Portland campus where they met up with Walter Phillips and were given a brief tour of the university campus.

Here, Freya did not stand out, as the students were all adults and many of them were as tall as she was and so, she attracted little attention.

The highlight of the tour was the gymnasium and the ball courts inside. The senior women's volleyball team was training that day and Freya was impressed by the towering women all vigorously doing team drills and practicing their defense methods.

During a brief break, Freya was introduced to the team captain, a towering blond named Ingrid Hansen.

When the two shook hands, Ingrid remarked, "How old did you say you were again? You're almost as tall as me and I'm twenty-one!"

Freya smiled at the slightly taller Ingrid and replied, "I'm ten summers old."

Ingrid grinned and said, "Damn, you're gonna be a giant!"

Freya simply smiled and replied, "I am a Jotun, we're all giants."

Ingrid squinted at her and asked, "Did you say Jotun? Like in 'frost giant' Jotun?"

"Aye, that I did."

Ingrid laughed and said aloud to her team mates, "Hey everybody! This girl says she's a frost giant!"

The other girls chuckled among themselves while Freya looked puzzled and asked, "'tis something funny?"

Ingrid grinned at her and said, "Honey, I hate to break it to ya, but there are no frost giants, that's old country stories from Scandinavia. Legends kinda like the Norse god stories, they're fun to read and all if your Swedish like me, but they're not to be taken seriously." Freya replied earnestly, "My people see it differently, th' Scandis came from th' south with sharp spears an' bright swords. Odin an' 'is sons slew us an' druv us from our lands an' homes. We cam tae this new land tae get away from th' killin', we only wanted tae live in peace."

Ingrid stepped back slightly in surprise at Freya's intensity and she said, "Woah girl, calm down, we're talkin' ancient history here, no reason to get all serious."

Freya relaxed a bit and said quietly, "We've remained hidden fer centuries, me parents asked Roger here tae tak me with him to see this world and tell th' people about us and how we still live. I'm still just a wee lass wi' growin' tae do yet."

Ingrid looked at Roger and asked, "She's for real ain't she? How tall will she get?"

Roger grinned and replied, "Yes, she is for 'real' and if her parents are any indicator, she'll reach possibly nine feet tall at maturity."

He grinned at the look on Ingrid's pretty face and said, "Trust me, I've been to her home village up in Canada where I felt like a little kid amongst them."

Ingrid grinned at Freya and said, "Okay, I'll take you at your word then. Now, onto the important stuff...How's your game?"

"Me game?"

"Yeah, your game...How well do you play?"

Freya shrugged and replied, "Well enough, I s'pose. I play with the high schoolers at th' park near me house."

Ingrid grinned and said, "We play pretty seriously here, none of this shootin' a few hoops with the boys stuff, here it's for real."

She glanced at the basketball hoop and said, "Basketball isn't really my game, but volleyball is. So, how about you and I, one on one for fifteen minutes? Basketball."

Freya grinned and nodded a 'yes'. Ingrid looked over at Walter and he grinned before saying, "This could be interesting...Okay ladies, get them a ball and let them play."

Freya took off her plaid shirt and limbered up a bit before stepping onto the court.

For the next fifteen minutes, the only sounds heard were the squeaking of sports shoes on a smooth floor, the hollow thumping sounds of a bouncing ball and the thump-swish of a ball falling through the net after impacting a backboard and the occasional collision of tall, athletic bodies in motion.

There was a brief interruption when Freya got knocked on her butt while blocking Ingrid's layup shot.

This was soon followed by another interruption when Ingrid suffered the same fate while attempting to block a jump shot by Freya.

All too soon, a whistle sounded and the two stopped playing.

They grinned at each other while catching their breaths, finally Ingrid said between breaths,"How long did you say you've been playing?"

Freya grinned and replied, "Just a few months, we hae nae ball courts where I live. I learnt th' game here."

Ingrid laughed and said, "A little bit more experience and some good coaching, you'll be a helluva ball player!"

She grinned at Freya and said, "Feel free to join us when we're working out. I'll send you our training schedule so you can join us!"

When the ladies hit the showers, Freya went with them to wash up while Roger talked to Walter.

Roger asked, "Is it going to be okay if she does join in? She is a child after all."

Walter laughed and replied, "Freya knocked Ingrid on her ass, Ingrid is one of our strongest players. Trust me, she'll be fine, she plays hard and can take a hit. Her natural strength is impressive and with some strength training she'll be unstoppable on the court."

Roger grinned at him and replied, "I think it will be good for her to get a bit of a challenge, she's so much bigger than the other kids her age, it's ridiculous!"

Walter grinned and replied, "Our girls will tire her out and give her a challenge, that, I can guarantee."

All the way home Freya chattered happily about how much she enjoyed meeting women her own size who could play ball.

Roger grinned at her and remarked, "They won't always be your size, y'know."

Freya shrugged and said, "'t's okay, I know I'll get much bigger, but I'll still like them!"

*Author's note: Robert Wadlow was the tallest man who ever lived, when he died at the age of 22, he was 8 feet 11 inches tall and was still growing. wiki/Robert_Wadlow


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The first snow came early and while the rest of the kids were bundled up against the cold. Freya still wore only a long sleeve plaid shirt over a short sleeved top and was perfectly comfortable in the thirty degree weather. Her only concessions to the weather were a long scarf around her neck and her waterproof shoes instead of the usual scuffed up sneakers.

Her friend Lorna Yamada saw her walking through the snow in her usual light attire and commented, "Damn, don't you EVER get cold? I'm freezing just looking at you!"

Freya smirked and blithely replied , "Is'na cold, I'll tell ya when it's cold!"

Lorna just snuggled deeper into her big jacket and muttered, "Crazy Jotuns, don't know when to come in out of the weather!"

Winter break was fast approaching and many of the kids discussed what they wanted for Christmas.

When she saw the date for Christmas on the school's calendar, Freya smiled happily and exclaimed, "Winter solstice is right aboot that date! I'll ask Roger to help me make a guid mid winter feast fur us!"

Lorna, who had pointed out the date on the calendar, looked at her curiously and asked, "Don't you guys celebrate Christmas? Your people, I mean."

"Ne'er heard of it." replied Freya without batting a lash. "We celebrate winter solstice as it marks th' day when th' nights will get shorter an' th' days will grow longer. It means the time o'th darkness is ending an' soon the crops will grow again and th' hunger will end." Lorna puffed out her cheeks and said, "Woah, that sounds kinda primitive. How do you celebrate a winter solstice?"

"Th' families get together an' make a feast. We set up long tables an' build a great fire in th' middle fur warmth and light tae eat by. Our eldest woman represents the crone an' she reads from the ancient scrolls of our hist'ry, tae remind us of our homelan' in Jotunheim. A young girl-child will sit beside her tae remind us of spring's return an' life's new beginnin'."

Freya smiled wistfully and remarked quietly, "This'll be me first time away from home durin' solstice and helpin' me mom an' dad wit' makin' th' food."

Lorna smiled at her towering friend and said cheerfully, "Let me know if I can help, I think it'll be fun! My family is Buddhist and we don't really celebrate Christmas like the Christians do. Oh, we'll give each other presents and things like that, but that whole midnight mass scene isn't our thing."

Freya grinned at her friend and said happily, "That would be verra nice! I'll start workin' on Roger, I thenk he'll like th' idea!"

The question came out of the blue, "Roger?"

"Hmmm?"

"What did ye do fur Christmas, when ye were a lad?"

Roger looked up from his typing and thought for a few moments before he replied, "I never really celebrated Christmas while growing up."

At Freya's puzzled expression he elaborated, "I came from a broken home, my father died in prison when I was about five and my mother simply left me with child welfare and vanished. I grew up either in foster homes or juvenile hall until I joined the Marines at seventeen. So Christmas was not something I enjoyed."

He looked at her gloomy expression and said apologetically, "Sorry for the gloomy personal history report my dear."

Freya's bright blue eyes misted over, then she came over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a lingering embrace. He heard and felt her sniffing as she held back her tears, Roger grasped her arms where they wrapped in front of him and said softly, "It's okay baby girl, it was a long time ago and things have gotten much better. I have you, don't I?" he finished with a big grin as he squeezed her back.

Freya smiled at him through her tears and she asked in earnest, "Can we celebrate Christmas?"

"Do you guys celebrate Christmas? Induna never mentioned it to me." he asked his young companion.

"Nae, we celebrate mid winter's night with a feast!"

"Well then, why don't we do that instead?" asked Roger with a smile.

Her big grin was his reply, that and the big hug she gave him.

Okay, so how do we do this?" asked Roger, "What all is involved here, what sort of foods do we eat and how are they prepared?"

Freya's eyes briefly took on a faraway look, then she replied, "We ate mostly preserved foods, smoked meats dried veg'tables and root veg'tables like p'taters or turnips. We'd put them in a big pot an' make a stew out o'them. If'n a hunter got lucky an' got an elk, we dug a pit an' roasted the meat in a big pot buried in th' coals."

She grinned toothily and said merrily, "An' me great uncle Old Harald always made the mead!"

Roger chuckled softly and remarked gently, "I hate to be 'that guy' but, this is Portland, if it was just you and me I'd have no problem with you having a cup of mead, you're used to it. Your friends might not be used to it and serving alcohol to minors is taboo down here."

"Awww! Nae fair!" Grumped Freya, "Sorry." replied Roger with a shrug, "I have to be responsible for you down here. If this was your folk's place, I 'd say 'let's pour a drink!' and worry about the hangover in the morning."

Over the next few days while Freya was in school, Roger prowled around in several antique and junk shops looking for a large cast iron cauldron or a Dutch oven.

He found the Dutch oven at a Army Surplus store and lucked out at a yard sale by scoring a ten gallon stew pot and a wrought iron tripod to hold it over a fire with.

After a thorough cleaning and seasoning, they were ready for the main event.

They spent some time at the market looking for the right ingredients and picked up a nice ten pound roast along with potatoes and the other ingredients Freya had mentioned.

In a nod to tradition, Roger picked up a bottle of mead for them to share.

December 20th dawned brightly, for the last two days there had been a snowfall and the Portland area was blanketed in fresh clean snow.

After a light breakfast, the two of them went outside and began preparing for the feast.

The snow was cleared away and a shallow pit about four feet across was dug for the bonfire, a second deeper pit was dug for the stew pot and Dutch oven.

Roger was grateful for Freya's youthful energy and strength as she eagerly wielded the digging bar they used to break up the frozen ground near the patio.

That night Lorna Yamada came over and helped prepare the food. She'd brought with her ingredients for a traditional Japanese chirinabe fish stew and she promptly commandeered the smaller stew pots to make it in, saying cheerfully as she glommed them, "My family's gonna help us eat all of this, so I need these pots!"

"Yes ma'am!" replied Roger witha big grin.

He enjoyed seeing the two girls interacting together, they had become fast friends and Freya was regularly invited over for dinner by Lorna's parents.

As it was winter break, Lorna was staying over to help prepare the food while Roger set up the fire pits and the heavy pots.

In a break from Jotun tradition, lanterns were hung from the eaves and tree branches near the picnic tables while a patio heater would take away the worst of the chilly night air.

When Freya muttered about 'traditions', it was Lorna who pointed out to her that not everyone could stand the cold like she could.

Freya could only smile slightly and reply a bit sheepishly, "I dae forgit that sometimes!"

The day of the feast was cold, very cold and the air itself seemed brittle with the cold. Roger remarked about how while he worked on the fire pits, his breath would turn into snow crystals and fall to the cold, hard ground.

Freya was in her element and she was grinning like one gone balmy as she declared to her friend Lorna, "I told ye I woods let ye know when it was cold, thes, is, almost cold!"

And she danced a little jig in the newly fallen snow.

Roger handed her a push broom and muttered through his scarf, "Here! Put some of that energy of yours to work, sweep the patio off while I get the fires going."

Freya grinned happily and set to work sweeping the fresh snow off the tables and the patio in general.

Lorna simply shook her head at Freyas antics and went back inside to cut up the fish into bite sized chunks.

Roger soon had a small blaze going and as it grew larger, he glanced up at the afternoon sky. There was not a cloud in sight, which meant it would get very cold that night with no cloud cover to trap any residual heat from the sun's efforts at warming the landscape.

With the cooking fire well established, he lit the smaller charcoal braziers for the chirinabe hot pots at the tables.

Setting up the wrought iron tripod over the smaller fire, Roger hung the big iron cauldron and called out, "Freya! Th' fire's ready!"

Freya soon emerged from the back door with a bucket of water while Lorna lugged a tray of cut up meats and vegetables.

Pouring the water into the big cauldron, Freya began by adding the meats first and after a few minutes, she added the vegetables and some spices she'd found in the kitchen.

Roger added some more wood to the fire and taking up the long poker, he carefully arranged the burning chunks of wood for the best cooking heat.

Lorna had returned to the house and brought out the smaller stew pots to place on the braziers.

She added water to them and said cheerfully, "By the time everyone gets here, the water will be nice and hot for making a hot pot!"

Lastly, Roger fired up the patio heaters to the accompaniment of Freya's mutterings about traditions.

Lorna's family arrived first, bringing her grandmother with them.

The tiny woman was all bundled up against the cold and sat in the chair set up for her, her aged face wreathed with smiles for she was going to represent the crone aspect of the White Goddess.

Her son was Lorna's father and he waited on his mother hand and foot.

Lorna's mom was going to represent the matron aspect and Freya was going to represent the maiden aspect, thus completing the three aspects of the White Goddess.

Youth, maturity and old age.

First, the food had to finish cooking, the great cauldron of thick stew made from the preserved meats and vegetables was nearly ready and Roger carefully arranged some of the glowing coals to keep it warm.

Lorna handled the hot pots and soon the aroma of hot fish stew was tantalizing their noses as she stirred in the many ingredients.

Tamara Johnson and her older brother Rayshawn arrived and after a brief round of introductions, found themselves seats.

Dierdre Shannon was the last to arrive and she also said hello to the group and took her seat. Tamara and Dierdre were also fairly tall and frequently played basketball with Freya and Lorna.

Tamara had skin like polished ebony with her inky black hair kept in tight braids and a lithe athletic body while Dierdre had fair skin, green eyes and an untamed medusa of fiery red hair.

With all the guests now seated, Roger lit the big fire and tended to it while Freya stood before them, smiled happily and said, "Mony thanks tae ye all fur caming tae me winter solstice feast. It's nae quite like home as we added heaters tae warm th' place a mite."

She gestured to the simmering cauldron and the tabletop hot pots, "Th' food is ready, so feel free tae serve cauldron holds what we make back home, a stew made of preserved meats and root veg'tables as tha' is what we eat durin' th' winter. Th' hot pots are Lorna's doin' an' are traditional winter foods in Japan...Sae dig in an' enjoy!"

Lorna's dad served her grandmother from the hot pot while the others all dug into both cauldron and hot pots.

Roger brought out a big pot of hot mulled cider and filled the mugs on the table with the spice scented beverage.

The adults each got a small cup of the mead Roger had bought, much to Freya's dismay until he placed a cup in front of her and winked at her.

Everyone enjoyed the experience of sitting outside on wooden benches while all bundled up to keep out the cold and eating their fill.

When they were all finished eating and had freshly filled mugs of hot spiced cider, Freya got out the goddess robes she had made for the occasion.

She draped the black and white one over Lorna's grandmother's shoulders, next she draped the green and brown one over her mother's shoulders.

Finally, she stepped inside the house only to reemerge a few minutes later, wearing the white robes of the goddess of youth.

Her friends realized with a start that Freya had nothing on beneath the fine, white linen she wore and her feet were bare.

She stood facing them, smiled and said in a clear voice, "I represent th' coming spring an' th' rebirth of life after th' stillness an' death o'winter's cold."

She gestured to Lorna's grandmother and said softly, "She represents th' stillness and death o'winter. Her colors are black and white to represent the stillness o'th' land."

She gestured at Lorna's mother and said, "She represents the seasons of growth and th' harvest, she is motherhood and fertility, she is th' matron and mother goddess."

Placing her hands over her own bosom Freya said, "I represent the return of spring and th' future o'life."

She knelt in front of Lorna's grandmother while taking her hands in her own, she bowed her head to her and spoke softly in an unknown language as the tiny woman smiled at her.

Freya then knelt in front of Lorna's mother and again, took her hands in her own while bowing her head and speaking softly.

Straightening up again, Freya stood facing them, with her long red-gold hair unbraided for the occasion and cascading nearly to her slender hips. She was a vision of youthful beauty and purity, clad all in white.

Seemingly immune to the biting cold, she smiled at them and sang in a ringing, clear voice.

The language she sang in sounded strangely familiar to Roger, as if he had heard it in a past lifetime.

Her strong voice carried into the cold night air, conveying her message to her ancestors.

Falling silent again, she looked at all of her friends who had joined her and she said, "'Twill be midnight verra soon and I will be sounding th' death knell o'the long nights o'winter then I will ring in the new year tae welcome th' caming o'spring. Thank ye all again fur joining me oan thes longest o'nights!"

Roger quickly set up the small bell he had scrounged up and handed the wooden striker to her.

Freya stood silently, gazing up at the night sky, her bright blue eyes fixed on a spot in the starry firmament above them.

Roger stole a glance at his phone, it was nearly midnight with only seconds to go.

Moments later, Freya struck the small bell three times in carefully timed strokes of the striker.

It was midnight exactly.

Freya remained standing still until a few moments after the stroke of twelve when she struck the small bell three more times, the ringing of the bell shattering the silence of the moment.

Lorna stepped over to a small object resembling a stubby tube fixed to a block of wood, striking a match she touched the flaring match to a short cord sticking out from the top of the tube, it began fizzling and sparking.

The sparking became a brilliant shower of white sparks shooting up from the tube, the glare dazzling their eyes and bringing smiles to their faces while a collective 'ahhh' was heard, it lasted only a short while, but it was enough.

The new year had been properly welcomed.

When it was dark again Freya smiled at her guests and said happily, "Th' long nights will get shorter an' spring is comin' soon. Mah mony thanks tae ye fur comin' an' helpin' me tae send out th' auld year an' welcome in th' new!"

As Freya stepped away from the bell, Lorna shivered and muttered grimly, "Now, will you please put on some real clothes? I'm freezing to death just looking at you!"

Freya just grinned at her friend and cheerfully replied, "It's nae cold tae me, it's cold when th' sap freezes in th' trees an' they explode. It's nae cold enaw 'ere fur 'at tae happen!"

Tamara commented frankly, "It may not be cold to you, girl, but I'm freezing and your outfit makes me feel even colder!"

With that, the winter solstice feast ended and after Freya had changed back into her usual attire, she helped Lorna with her grandmother out to their minivan.

She smiled sleepily as they eased her into the van and buckled her in.

She laid a delicate, finely veined hand on Freya's arm and said softly, "Thank you so much for inviting us, I had so much fun being a goddess, if only for a little while!"

Freya blushed and replied shyly, "It was mah pleasure ma'am, I'm glad ye all coods make it!"

A few days later when Roger came home from the museum where he had been doing research.

He found to his surprise, a Christmas tree with all the trimmings and a few gaily wrapped presents stashed beneath its spreading branches.

Freya and her friends Lorna, Tamara and Dierdre were still decorating everything when they realized he was standing there with a silly grin on his rugged face.

Lorna came out of the kitchen and wonderful cooking smells wafted along behind her, she gaped at him and cried, "You're early!"

Roger laughed and said cheerfully, "Sorry, I didn't get the memo about staying away until you guys were done!"

Freya came bouncing up and threw her arms around him in a big hug.

As she now stood a bit taller than him, it was memorable to say the least.

She smiled at him and said gaily, "I wanted ye tae have a Christmas tae remember!"

Roger's eyes misted over and he held her closely for a few moments before he said softly, "Thank you, I will always treasure this!"

After they separated, he grinned at her friends and said cheerfully, "You guys really are something, y'know that? I don't know what to say other than, thank you very much!"

The girls all grinned at him and it was Tamara that said merrily, "You're welcome, we had a lot of fun the other night, freezing our butts off, eating all this food, drinking hot cider and mead and learning about Freya's culture while wondering if she was gonna freeze to death!"

Roger laughed and replied with a grin, "Yeah, I kinda thought the same thing myself." Freya stuck out her tongue and made a razzing noise at all of them.

Christmas and the new year's celebrations came through like a winter storm, bringing a fresh falling of new snow, holiday cheer and nice presents.

It was over with all too soon for the school children of Portland, Oregon and they trudged back to school on a dreary, snowy Monday, all except for Freya.

The ending of winter break meant she could resume her regular volley ball playing with the University of Portland's Women's Volleyball team, the Portland Pilots.

In addition to playing with young women in her size and strength range, she also got to play basketball with them as well.

She was also happy because Roger had told her that provided her grades continued to be excellent.

They would be flying to Arizona during the up coming spring break, to visit his friends, George and Mia Bryce.

He had shown her pictures of them and their twin girls and she was eager to meet them.

Next Chapter: A Giantess meets a Lamia


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Roger Tate and his young companion Freya Sigurdsdottir, were able to get away from her schooling for her first spring break. They flew to Arizona to see George and Mia Bryce and their twins.

The girls were now nearly ten months old and proving to be quite the handful.

Lamias could sinuate much earlier than humans could walk and once they'd started sinuating, it was "gangway!" as they would slither all about the house and ranch and be everywhere and nowhere, all at once.

Fortunately, with Mia's family now in Arizona, they could help out with keeping them away from trouble.

The flight was fairly routine and the two were soon maneuvering their luggage through the crowd at Phoenix International airport.

Freya now stood several inches taller than Roger's six-foot height even though she was just ten summers old and she wore what almost amounted to a uniform amongst the kids her age.

Faded blue jeans, a sleeveless top and a faded plaid long sleeve shirt over that, on her feet were the obligatory scuffed up sneakers.

On her right elbow, a bandage covering a fresh bit of pavement rash from a tumble on her bicycle. In short, she was fitting in.

George Bryce sat waiting for them outside at the curbside passenger loading zone, they tossed their bags in the back, climbed in the van and buckled up.

Soon, they were speeding through traffic as George headed for the freeway out of town. Roger grinned at his friend and asked, "How're my favorite nieces?"

George rolled his eyes and replied, "They're wonderful, when they're asleep. When they're awake?

Wow! You wouldn't believe the things I've had to childproof, almost every door in the house has a safety catch on it now because they've figured out door latches.

The only door that isn't safety catched is the one to our bedroom, Mia won't restrict their access to us, so I wake up all the time with little ones in bed with me."

Roger just chuckled and remarked cheerfully, "And you're lovin' every minute of it!"

He looked over at Freya and said, "You haven't met George's family yet. The twins are nearly ten months old now and very enthusiastic about getting into things!"

Freya grinned and replied skeptically, "Och! How much mischief can such wee bairns make?"

George laughed and said cheerfully, "You'll see, just you wait!"

Roger smiled at him and remarked, "Both of us have had our comfortable little lives turned upside down.

You have Mia and your twins and her family. I have Freya here and we ended up moving into a much bigger house with high ceilings to give her headroom as she grows up."

George chuckled and remarked, "And I now live on a 10,000 acre ranch slash nature preserve. Did I tell you about our neighbor?"

"Neighbor? What, neighbor?"

"It turns out we are sharing our ranch with a young arachne girl of about twelve or thirteen."

"Whaat?! An arachne?" exclaimed Roger, "How did she get there and how did Rachel take it?"

George laughed again and replied, "She was already there when we moved in and she stayed in hiding until she realized we weren't any danger to her. Rachel? She's over the moon about this. She has me taking all kinds of notes and observing the girl as she interacts with Natalie, Mia's youngest sister and the other humans working around the ranch. She's also trying to find a school for them to attend."

Roger grinned, "Dealing with Freya and I must be a cinch for her then, of course we live in Portland near the museum and Freya doesn't stand out so much just yet. Also, she's pretty self reliant, she's already learned her way around the neighborhood and many of the local hiking trails."

Freya sat quietly gazing out the window of the van, they were outside Phoenix now and speeding along the highway out of town.

The desert lay all about then now as they traversed the narrow ribbon of pavement.

"There's nae trees here, I did'na ken th' desert when I first heard of it." She murmured quietly.

George looked up at the mirror and grinned at her, "Wait'll we get closer to the ranch, you'll see some pretty cool things. We have our own little oasis now and can almost feed ourselves with what we can grow or hunt."

"Almost?" Asked Roger.

"You try getting between a lamia and her ice cream, it could be hazardous to your health!" Quipped George as he patted the large plug in cooler between the front seats.

Roger lifted the lid and saw several nicely frosted tubs of ice cream lying beneath a couple of slabs of dry ice, he laughed and remarked in a dramatic tone of voice, "To ensure domestic tranquility, thou shalt fetch fudge ripple ice cream!"

"You'd better believe it buddy!" replied George with a laugh.

After exiting the highway, they cruised along a wide stretch of gravel road and Roger commented, "Pretty nice grading here, lot's of neighbors I take it?"

"We've got a couple of gravel quarries nearby and this is their access road, during the week it's a little crowded with big rigs hauling rocks and gravel out of the pits."

He pointed out the window at the dust covered bushes and remarked, "I'm surprised any of this stuff is still alive, all coated with dust like it is."

He glanced back at Freya and said cheerfully, "Don't worry dear, once we get away from this part, it gets really nice. We might even see a couple of gopher tortoises, there's a fair number of them out here now that we chased off a lot of the ravens that were killing the young tortoises!"

Freya grinned and asked curiously, "Are they anythin' like box turtles?"

"Nah! They're much bigger and way cooler. They dig a tunnel and stay in it at night or when they hibernate during the winter."

Turning off the main road, George deftly maneuvered the bulky van over the narrow trackway he was following and stopped at a gate in the fence stretching across the desert. Roger hopped out and held the gate open while George pulled through it and stopped, closing the gate again Roger hopped back in and they resumed their trek.

George steered the van to the left when they came to a crossroads and continued on their way.

Minutes later another gate appeared and Roger repeated his earlier performance while commenting, "Are there a lot of gates out here? I don't wanna buckle up if I just have to jump out again!"

George just grinned and replied, "The first gate was to the nature preserve and the second gate was to our ranch which lies within the preserve. The preserve itself is about 150,000 acres and there are a couple of more private ranches within the preserve. It's a quiet neighborhood!"

Roger laughed and said, "I'll bet!"

Freya suddenly exclaimed, "Och look! I see turtles over yonder!" George stopped the van and they got out, Freya trotted with her red-gold braids flying, over to the tortoise plodding along. She beamed happily as she picked it up and began looking it over while its stubby legs flailed uselessly.

Her pretty face was all smiles as she held it up for them to see.

George chuckled slightly and called out, "Careful where you point that, it could be loaded!" Freya made a question face and said, "Wha?!" When a thick, yellow stream shot from the rounded posterior of the tortoise, narrowly missing her.

Freya burst out laughing and hastily set the outraged tortoise back down, whereupon it rapidly plodded away into the bushes.

Grinning like a kid on Christmas morn she asked incredulously, "Do all of them do that?

Roger grinned roguishly and replied drily, "Only when picked up, they'll hold it until someone picks them up and then they'll let fly. Poor things could go for years before someone picks them up."

Freya raised one red gold eyebrow and placed one hand on her hip while shifting her weight to that hip.

George chuckled and said, "I don't think she's buyin' that Rodge, I've seen that look before. Our pediatric nurse does that."

Roger chuckled slightly and replied, "She picked that up from some classmates of hers at school."

Resuming their trek, they soon left the still annoyed tortoise far behind.

Cresting the last ridge, they drove across the shallow valley and around the shoulder of rock the house sat upon at the base of a steep slope.

Out in front of the house at one side of the roomy driveway, stood a basketball hoop and backstop where two young girls were playing one-on-one.

Freya clapped her hands and cried happily, " Och, a basketball hoop, I love basketball!"

Then she noticed that one girl had a massive, pythonic tail and she was rapidly flicking that tail from side to side as she nimbly dribbled the ball on the dirt surface and fended off her opponent who had way too many legs and danced about on those many legs in her attempts to retrieve the ball from her lamian opponent and defend the hoop.

Roger laughed and said cheerfully, "Now there's an interesting game, a lamia and an arachne playing some hoops!"

The young lamia briefly coiled her tail and launched herself upward to make a shot at the hoop. As the ball left her hands, her octopedal opponent quickly gathered those many legs and leapt up, reaching out with a long, slender, chitinous arm and long fingered hand to deftly block the shot.

Freya clapped her hands and cried happily, "Well played!"

George parked the van as the two demi-human girls smiled and waved, he held up the bag of goodies he'd promised them and they came up to the van smiling.

Roger exited the van and exclaimed, "Hi Natalie!" and the young lamia squealed in delight, crying, "Uncle Roger!" as she hugged him tightly.

She turned to the the young arachne and said cheerfully, "This is my uncle Roger, he helped get us out of Algeria." glancing back at him she smiled and said, "This is my friend Zenobia, we met a few months ago. It turned out she was already living here when we moved in!" Roger smiled gently at the shy young arachne, her two main eyes and four secondary reddish eyes blinking rapidly as she avoided looking directly at him.

"Hello Zenobia, it's a pleasure to meet you at last!" he said as he extended his hand in greeting.

Zenobia shyly extended her chitinous hand and blushed as he gently took her hand and shook it slightly.

She blushed even redder at the contact, quickly scuttled behind Natalie and peeked shyly around her at him.

When Freya got out, they both looked curiously at her, to them she looked fully human. Roger laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Girl's, I'd like you to meet my foster daughter, Freya Sigurdsdottir!"

Freya smiled shyly and said politely, "Hello!"

"Freya, this is my niece Natalie, George's youngest sister-in-law and this is Zenobia, her neighbor."

Natalie blushed and said nervously, "I first thought you were a boy with long hair, well, because..." She unconsciously smooshed her youthful bosom together, emphasizing her budding decolletage and Zenobia as her snug silken top showed plainly, was also developing nicely.

Freya shrugged and replied, "Me moon cycle has nae started yet as I am only a lass of ten summers old."

Both girls gaped briefly and Natalie blurted out in surprise, "But, you're so tall!"

The moment was interrupted by Mia emerging from the house with twins in tow, her lush bosom still heavy with milk.

"Darling!" cried Mia happily, "Did you get my things?"

She swept George into her lush embrace as their tiny twins sinuated up their parents entwined bodies.

A second van pulled up alongside and parked.

Rachel Thompson stepped out and hugged both Roger and Freya while exclaiming, "Did you guys just get here?"

Then Mia swept in and glommed onto Roger exclaiming, "Roger! It's so good to see you!" Roger, feeling slightly overwhelmed, grinned at her and commented, "Girl, you don't know your own strength. I don't know how George does it!"

"With the greatest of ease!" declared George happily.

The passenger side opened and a tall, slim black woman stepped out, she had an air of authority and a military bearing about her. _"Combat Medic"_ Thought Roger as he glanced at her.

Rachel smiled at him and said, "Roger, I'd like you to meet Roberta Johnson RN, pediatric nurse specialist. She's helping us out with the twins."

She turned to Roberta and said, "I'd like you to meet Roger Tate, he also works for the museum. Roger is a little hard to categorize, he's done a little of everything and speaks several Arabic and Sub Saharan African languages. He and George found Mia and her family and brought them here among other things."

Roger grinned at Roberta and said, "Pleasure to meet you!" as they shook hands, Roberta spoke briefly in Arabic and Roger chuckled, winked at her and replied, "I was lucky, no camel spiders ever bit me!"

Roberta grinned at Rachel and said, "I asked him if he had ever met any camel spiders?"

Rachel then gestured to Freya and said, "This is Freya, she is Roger's foster daughter, she is staying with him while she goes to school here in the U.S."

Roberta smiled at Freya and said, "A late bloomer I see, it's a pleasure to see another one, I was quite the late bloomer myself growing up."

Roger cleared his throat and said quietly, "Freya is only ten years old."

Roberta looked at her more closely and asked, "May I ask if you have a thyroid condition or an abnormal growth rate issue?"

Freya looked a bit nonplussed as she asked, "Me growth rate? Is somethin' wrong with me?"

Roberta smiled warmly and said gently, "Most ten year old girls are not over six feet tall. Your size is unusual, are your parents tall?"

Freya thought for a moment and said cheerfully, "Me folks aren't that tall, in fact, me dad is not th' tallest man in our village nor is me mum th' tallest woman."

She grinned and said cheerfully, "I'm still th' smallest in me family!"

Roberta held up one hand and placed the other against her forehead, closing her eyes for a moment, "Wait...What?!"

Roger chuckled and said, "Freya is another mythical being if you will, she just looks fully human, like us."

Roberta faced Roger and said tersely, "Go on, I'm listening."

Roger cleared his throat again and said, "Freya is a frost giant, one of the Jotuns of Norse mythology fame."

Roberta closed her large, expressive eyes briefly and said, "Please continue, I had to think about what you said just now. You did say 'frost giant' did you not?"

Roger grinned at her then he turned to Freya and asked her, "Sweetie, would you mind giving uncle George a hand with his things? I'll be along in a few more minutes."

Freya smiled at him and trotted off to help George and the others.

Turning back to Rachel and Roberta, Roger gave her a brief summary of his life with Freya Sigurdsdottir.

When he was finished, he stood there smiling while Roberta mulled over his tale of getting lost in the Canadian woods and encountering a village of mythical giants hidden away from prying eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Roberta finally smiled and said, "It sounds like you've got your work cut out for you, raising a young girl like that and you say she'll grow to be about nine feet tall?"

She chuckled and commented, "God help the man who pisses her off!"

They turned and saw Freya nimbly dribbling a basketball and easily dodging both Natalie and Zenobia as she neatly sank a shot into the metal hoop.

Rachel laughed and said, "I think she's made some friends!"

Roger hollered at her, "I thought you were helping George?"

Freya hollered back, "I did, an' then he told me tae go play!"

Roberta watched the girls playing and remarked, "I sure never thought I would be watching a snake girl, a spider girl and a young giant all playing such a normal sport as basketball. My momma sure never told me about this!"

Roger laughed and remarked, "My two ex-wives wouldn't even recognize me now, I even gave up smoking to set a better example for Freya and Henri DuValliere loves to tease me about getting house broken by a young giantess!"

Roberta smiled and said, "Me? I've got two babies to examine and tired parents to advise!" she grinned, "Time to earn a paycheck!" and picked up her bags then followed Mia and her twins into the house, they were smiling happily, Nurse Roberta was here!

Roger looked for their luggage and saw that Freya had already taken it into the house, so he too, went inside to see where they were situated.

Entering the house he saw at once, the many changes made to the house.

It was now more lamia friendly with a much roomier main bathroom and spare bedroom added to the structure.

The new bathroom was much like a Japanese onsen with a large pool for soaking in and hand held sprayers for washing up with.

Two toilets were in the room, one a conventional one and the other, a straddle type.

Roger found their luggage in the guest bedroom which conveniently, had two beds in it.

Going back outside, he noticed that the girls were still at war on the half court. Freya had shed her plaid shirt and tied her two long braids together behind her back, she was serious now.

Roger idly noted that she needed a sports bra now, her sweating had made the sleeveless top get somewhat transparent.

Turning away, Roger saw a couple approaching, he was a tall, older man and with him, a remarkably beautiful lamia wearing costly silk garments and plenty of golden jewelry. There was no mistaking them at all.

They were the Dexters, Mia's parents and they were smiling at him.

He met them halfway and after clasping hands and clapping backs with Phillip, he turned to Ayesha and she gave him one of those memorable hugs of hers.

She smiled at him and said warmly, "It is so good to see you Roger, when did you arrive?" "We got here about half an hour ago."

"We?" Asked Phillip.

"Freya and I came down for spring break."

"Freya? Who's Freya?" Asked Ayesha with the merest hint of a frown marring her otherwise, perfect forehead.

"Freya is my foster daughter, she's staying with me while she goes to school."

Phillip chuckled and asked with a sly grin, "Does this mean that Roger, the adventurer-scholar is settling down?"

Roger grimaced and said testily, "Now don't you too join the 'Mess with Roger Tate society'!"

Phillip grinned and replied with a wink, "Are there still openings?" "Yeah,yeah." grumped Roger.

After looking around, Phillip asked, his blue eyes twinkling merrily, "So, where is this 'Freya' you speak of?"

Roger pointed at the trio of girls playing on the half court.

Phillip squinted a bit and commented, "That's a girl? She's kinda..."

"Flat, you were about to say?" replied Roger, "She's only ten years old, the boobies come later."

"Ten years old? She's so tall!" exclaimed Phillip.

Roger grinned and said, "She'll get a lot taller if her parents are any indicator."

"How much taller are we talking about here?" Asked Ayesha curiously.

"Well, her mom is about nine feet..."

"Waiddaminit here, nine feet, as in NINE FEET?" Spluttered Phillip.

"Yup, nine feet, her dad is just over ten feet..."

"I'm calling bullshit!" declared Phillip.

Roger grinned at him and replied sarcastically, "Coming from a man married to a beautiful lamia and father to four beautiful lamias, all of them mythical beings, I might add."

"He does have a point dear." remarked Ayesha with a smile.

Phillip shrugged and said, "Okay, point taken. This girl is a..." He paused.

"Freya is a frost giant and she comes from a tiny hamlet up in Canada where her people live." Answered Roger.

"A frost giant, from Norse mythology..." Phillip looked over at the three girls darting about the half court and remarked philosophically, "Well, I shouldn't be too surprised at other mythical beings existing in this crazy, old world of ours."

He laughed and commented drily, "I won't envy you when she hits that 'boy crazy' stage!"

Roger just shrugged and replied, "She hasn't shown any signs of getting that kind of crazy. Then again, she has four older brothers, so boys in all their 'ickyness' will have no charms for her."

Phillip shrugged and remarked candidly, "Our girls are experiencing boys for the first time, now that they're here. Our second oldest has been talking to one of the forest rangers that works in the area, he seems like a nice young man and he is apparently, a virgin, otherwise she wouldn't be interested in him. I guess lamias can tell if a man is pure or not."

Roger laughed and said cheerfully, "I guess that's why George and Mia fell so hard for each other! That boy was so shy around women it was almost embarrassing. He sure lucked out meeting Mia though!"

Phillip grinned and replied, "We all, lucked out when they met!"

Roger looked over at Freya, squinted and muttered to himself, "That girl's working up a good sunburn..." He whistled loudly and hollered, "Time out for a minute, ladies!"

He looked at the Dexter's and asked, "Do you guys have any sunburn lotion?"

Ayesha looked thoughtful and replied carefully, "I think Mia has some of that baby sunscreen lotion."

Roger trotted over to Freya and asked her directly, "Did you put on any sunscreen?"

Freya grimaced and in a small voice, said, "I kinda forgot..."

Roger frowned and said firmly, "Well, you'd better cover up then. You've got a sunburn I could see from over there!" and jerked a thumb towards the Dexters.

"I'm going to ask Mia if she has any sunburn lotion for you." Declared Roger.

While Freya draped her shirt over her shoulders, Natalie asked Roger, "Is she okay?" Roger grinned at them and replied, "It's no big deal really, she has a sunburn because she's so fair skinned."

Natalie frowned and said apologetically, "I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier, we got caught up in the game and..."

"No harm done, we'll put some lotion on her and make sure she stays covered up."

Zenobia raised a chitinous hand and asked shyly, "May I ask a question or two?"

Roger nodded and she asked Freya, "How come you're so tall for a ten year old and why didn't you act surprised to see us?"

Freya grinned at them and replied cheerfully," I"m a frost giant, a Jotun an' I'm only half groon yet. I knew about ye because Roger tauld me about you guys an' he showed me pictures sae I'd know ye."

She smiled, "An' I wanted tae meit ye all!"

Roger cleared his throat and said, "C'mon kiddo, let's get you indoors and see about getting some sunburn lotion on you."

He grinned at the two girls and said apologetically, "Sorry about breaking up your game, but I gotta keep her healthy you know."

Natalie grinned and she quickly poked Zenobia's arm while yelling, "Tag!" Then sinuated away at an amazing speed towards the half court George had so laboriously put in for her.

Zenobia squawked, "Hey!" and dashed after her, her eight legs carrying her at a terrific speed.

Roger glimpsed a distinct brownish violin shaped mark on her lower abdomen as she sped away. _"So, she's like a very large brown recluse spider, that explains her shyness."_ Thought Roger as the two young girls resumed their playing.

Freya sighed and muttered glumly, "Is nae fair, they can be out in th' sun and I gie all burnt!" Roger grinned at his young companion and said reassuringly, "Yes, but you can live in the cold better than they can. There's a reason why you don't see lamias and arachnes up north, it's too cold for them!"

Freya smiled at him and she took his hand like she always did and they walked into the cool house together.

In their room, Freya doffed her plaid shirt and Roger started running the water in their shower, adjusting the water temperature to a be a bit on the cool side.

He said to her, "Jump in the shower and let it run over your burns a bit, I set it to be a little cool and you can adjust it if necessary. In the meantime, I'm going to ask Mia if she has any sunburn lotion for your burns."

Freya nodded as she doffed the remainder of her clothing and stepped into the shower.

Her casualness about nudity in front of him was a Jotun thing and something else he'd gotten used to.

Following the sounds of animated conversation, Roger found them in the spacious nursery.

Mia was feeding her twins at her ample bosom while George took copious notes as Roberta talked.

Mia grinned at Roger and said merrily, "Hi! You'll have to wait, there's two in front of you!" Roger smiled at her and said amiably, "Sorry, I'm lactose intolerant. Not to change the subject, but do you guys have any sunburn lotion? Freya burned like right now, with her fair skin."

Roberta frowned and asked, "Didn't she have any sunscreen?"

Roger sighed and replied peevishly, "Yes, a whole bottle Spf 70 baby sunscreen in her luggage. A fat lot of good it did her there! She saw the game of hoops and joined in. I was playing catch up with Mia's folks and by the time I noticed it, she was done. Fried to a crackly crisp!"

Mia frowned and said thoughtfully while her infant girls nursed happily, "I think George has some."

George looked up from his note pad and shook his head in a 'no'.

Roberta remarked, "I may have something that'll help. Reach me over my medical bag, the one with the red cross."

Roger did as he was asked and Roberta zipped open a side pouch, pulling out a couple of foil packets.

Roger grinned and said, "Still thinking like a combat medic eh?"

Roberta grinned back and said merrily, "You damn straight! I've saved a few lives with this kit. It goes where I go!"

Handing him the foil packs she said, "This is burn gel, it's more than you'll need, but they will cool the burn. How is she doing?"

"I've got her in a cool shower right now, just letting the water run over her back and shoulders, I figured it couldn't hurt."

Roberta smiled and remarked, "Smart move, cooling the burn always helps the healing process."

Thanking her, Roger went back to Freya and he found her sitting on a stool in their bedroom, a towel wrapped around her hips.

He could see plainly now her sunburn's extent, he whistled and commented. "Damn girl, you burn so easily! We weren't out there more than about twenty or thirty minutes and this happened!"

Freya smiled at him weakly and replied glumly, "I wish I'da thooght tae put th' lotion oan afore gettin' out of th' van."

He smiled at her reassuringly and said gently, "It's not a problem dear, Roberta gave me some burn gel packs and we'll fix you right up!"

Roger stepped behind her and he gently applied the numbing lotion across her back and shoulders and down her upper chest.

She straightened up and tilted her head back so he could swab the gel across her cheeks and forehead.

Freya smiled as the burn gel took effect, "Ahhh! That feels so verra good!" she sighed. Roger grinned and said, "What have we learned today?"

She grimaced and said sheepishly, "We, have learnt nae tae forgit uir sunscreen."

Roger chuckled and continued,"And what, will we do before leaving the house?"

Freya grinned and air quoted as she replied, "Put oan uir sunscreen!" Roger laughed and said happily, "That's my girl!"

Roberta knocked on the door and entered their bedroom, she smiled at Freya and asked, "How are you feeling?" Freya shrugged and replied, "Other than me sunburn, I feel fine."

She looked the girl over, noting her sunburn and physical development, in addition to her height, Freya had a lithe muscularity that foretold a natural athleticism and great strength.

Roberta stood in front of her and asked, "May I ask you a few personal questions?" Freya gulped and asked, "Can't I put on me clothes first?" She laughed and said cheerfully, "Of course you can! I do get caught up in being a nurse and I can get a little carried away sometimes."

Freya hastily pulled on a fresh pair of panties and trousers first, then she paused and gingerly eased a fresh, sleeveless top on.

Roberta smiled and said sympathetically, "I know how you feel, my skin gets so tender if I forget my sunscreeen."

Roger chuckled slightly as Freya blurted out in surprise, "But, yoo're sae dark!"

Roberta's chestnut hued face smiled and she replied with a grin, "Even very dark skin will burn. I may not get all red like you do, but I do get sunburn." Grinning hugely, she quipped, "I even peel!"

Having finished dressing, Freya declared, "Okay, I'm ready, ask yer personal questions!"

Roberta grinned, "I'm going to ask you some questions about your development, you don't have to answer if you're not comfortable about answering them." Roger, at this point spoke up, "Would you like me to leave?"

Freya shook her head in a 'no' and Roberta said reassuringly, "You can stay if you like, since you are responsible for her."

Roger simply grinned and quipped, "Responsible is not a word ordinarily used to describe me!"

Roberta rolled her expressive eyes and turning back to Freya said, "I'm just asking a couple of questions."

Roger made himself comfortable on his bed while Roberta asked Freya, "How old are you?"

"Ten an' a half Summers."

Roberta blinked and said, "Okay...So, when is your birthday?" "All th' Summer birthdays ur celebrated at Summer Solstice. I ken I was born near th' beginnin' of Summer."

"It's a Jotun thing they do, they don't really sweat exact dates like we do." Commented Roger from his bed.

Resuming her questioning, Roberta said, "Okay...We won't worry about that then, though a bureaucrat might get sticky about it later on." she looked at Freya closely and asked, "Have you started your period yet?"

Freya blushed and said shyly, "Me moon cycles huvnae started yet."

Roberta gently squeezed her hand and said soothingly, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about dear. We all begin sometime, I didn't start until I was almost sixteen." She grimaced and remarked drily, "I've sure made up for it since then!"

Roberta's face turned serious and she leaned closer to ask, "Has anyone ever tried to, or touched you, in a way you didn't like?"

Freya's brow furrowed a bit and she answered indignantly, "Me first day at school, these three ruffians started mockin' me, then two of 'em grabbed me arms whilst th' third went tae put 'ands oan me chest..."

Roberta leaned closer and, "So, what happened?" Freya grinned widely and said cheerfully, "Why I broke free an' gae 'em a thumpin', I did!"

Moments later, she said scornfully, "Like wee bairns they was, one little hit and they all went a sobbin' an' a cryin', t'warn't nae fight in 'em at'all!"

Roberta leaned back and burst out laughing, after a few moments she recovered then wiped tears from her eyes and cheerfully declared, "You go, girl! I like you already. I saw you on that half court, you played the hell out of that ball, I think the WNBA will be looking at you."

Roger chuckled softly and said drily, "I hate to be 'that guy' but, by the time she's ready for college she'll be way too big for them, as funny as that sounds." Roberta grinned and replied, "True, but won't it be funny to watch them salivating over a seven foot tall girl who can play hoops..." she laughed, "We'll play them like they play us!" she declared.

"I take it you're not too impressed by pro sports." Remarked Roger.

"Nope, not a bit, it's all about money to them. They play the P.R. Game with the youth sports programs, but academics are largely ignored. It's just not cool for a black youth to be smart. Playing sports or becoming a rapper is what's thought to be the ticket out of the ghetto."

Roberta smiled wryly and remarked wistfully, "Sorry about the rant, I grew up on the streets of Chicago and saw too many kids wind up in jail, pregnant or dead."

She looked Freya over once again and declared, "Well, I'm just about done here. I gave you some burn gel packs and asked you a bunch of personal questions, got a few surprises and pretty much wore out my welcome!"

Freya smiled at her and said, "'T'was nae trouble at'all, I enjoyed meetin' ye and me thanks fur th' burn gel!"

Roberta grinned at Freya and said with sincerity, "You are certainly welcome my dear and I'm glad I met you too!" She gathered up her medical gear and handed Freya a couple of more burn gel packs for later.

The two of them hugged briefly and Roberta chuckled before saying cheerfully, "I'm looking forward to seeing you when you are all grown up and headed off to college!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next day, while Roger spent much of his time visiting with George and Mia. Natalie and Zenobia invited Freya to go on a hike with them.

Prior to their leaving, George rummaged around and pulled out a large straw hat for Freya, while Roger made certain she had plenty of sunscreen slathered on her exposed skin.

Ayesha made them a lunch and after all their canteens were filled, they set out armed with Roger's camera and his dire admonition fresh on their minds, "If you drop it, make sure you throw yourself under it!" to which Freya had cheerfully replied, "Gotcha! If I drap it, flin' someain under it!"

They briefly hugged and she planted a little peck on his slightly grizzled cheek.

As they left, Roger watched the unusual trio walk, sinuate and scuttle away.

He grinned at George and remarked cheerfully, "She'll love the desert. Growing up in the deep forest, she's very much at home in the woods. This place is all new to her."

They turned around and saw Mia and Ayesha looking at them, or rather, at Roger.

A warm smile spread across Ayesha's dusky face and she winked knowingly at Mia, her oldest daughter.

Mia smiled back and George suddenly declared, "All right you two, out with it! What's with all the smiling and exchanging knowing looks?"

Ayesha sinuated forward and circled around Roger, looking him up and down all the while. He stood still while she coiled up her tail and sat in front of him, her forked tongue flicking in and out of her luscious mouth.

"She's in love with you!" Ayesha pronounced with certainty.

Roger gaped and exclaimed, "Who...Freya?!" he spluttered and said skeptically, "No way! She's just a kid!"

Ayesha laughed gaily, the little golden discs on her bustier tinkling faintly.

She stretched a shapely arm towards him and playfully touched his nose as she declared firmly, "Never doubt a lamia's instincts! That girl loves you and you are seen as her protector."

Mia had slithered next to George and as she slipped her arm around him, she said gently, "Mom's never wrong about that Rodge, she knew we were falling love even before we did!"

Roger cried out in exasperation, "Guys! The girl's a kid, she's ten and I'm thirty-four...Do the math!"

Mia giggled and said merrily, "So when she's eighteen, you'll only be forty-two!"

"And she'll be nine feet tall!" blurted out Roger.

George grinned roguishly and slyly replied, "But, Rodge, you like tall, leggy girls!"

Roger threw his hands up and said in disgust, "You guys are seriously twisted!"

George laughed and said playfully, "Wait'll Henri hears about this!"

"Don't you dare bring that crazy Frog into this! He's already teasing me enough as it is." Howled a nearly frantic Roger.

Ayesha sinuated up next to him, slipped an arm through his and squeezed it against the side of her impressive bosom, and in her rich, contralto voice, said soothingly, "Roger dear, in time, you will grow to love her too and your lives will be very rich together."

He found it hard to argue with one of the wisest, most beautiful women on earth, lamia or no lamia.

He also knew that when Ayesha had appeared on a TV show where the interviewer was known for being hard on his interviewees. Jaws had dropped at her exotic beauty and at how easily she had him eating out of her hand.

Roger smiled weakly and said wistfully, " The truth is, I do care for her and want the best for her."

He looked around at everybody and said, "On her eighteenth birthday, she will declare her heart's desire and hopefully, he will be good to her. I am prepared to lose her on that day, regardless of my feelings on the matter."

It was late afternoon when the girls returned from their trek, tired, thirsty and hungry. Roger sat in a stout chair on the patio with a beer in one hand and watched the trio approaching through the heat mirage. Freya under her big straw hat, Natalie, her serpentine form swaying from side to side as she sinuated and Zenobia, her spidery legs carrying her along without apparent effort.

He could hear them laughing as they talked freely among themselves.

He envied their gaiety, their lack of inhibition and freedom from control.

Even painfully shy Zenobia was smiling.

He smiled and called out cheerfully, "Hello, weary travelers! What news do you bring to our humble village?"

He plainly saw Freya roll her eyes as the other two broke into the giggles.

Freya trotted up to him and after a big hug, she gushed, "I had sae much fun! Zenobia showed me all kinds of things I've ne'er seen afore...An' I saw some tranchulas!"

Roger laughed at his tall companion and said, "Actually, it's pronounced ta,rant,u,la but, I got the meaning."

Freya grinned and retorted, "Anyway, they're a really big spider!"

Natalie sinuated up and grinned at him, "And she saw a really big snake too!" then she briefly hugged him too.

"Yeah, I'll bet she did!" replied Roger, then he smiled at Zenobia and said pleasantly, "Thank you for showing her around, I really do appreciate it!"

Zenobia's six eyes blinked rapidly in her embarrassment and she stammered, "Y...You...You're welcome!"

Mia sinuated out of the house, carrying one of her babies and declared, "There's food in the kitchen, go ahead and help yourselves!"

When the trio grinned at each other and began heading into the house, Mia called out, "Make sure you wash your hands first! Who knows what you guys picked up out there." Freya grinned and held up an impressive snake shedding, it was nearly six feet long and was clearly from a Western diamondback rattlesnake.

Mia grinned and remarked playfully, "My point exactly!"

Freya said happily, "This is bigger than th' serpents back home by far."

As the trio went inside to wash up and eat, Mia coiled up and sat next to Roger.

He asked, "So, where does Zenobia live?"

Mia smiled and replied, "She lives up in the attic of this house, she has a whole nest up there and an additional outside entrance so she can come and go without disturbing us."

"I don't recall that big of an attic on this house, you had it made larger?" Asked Roger.

"Yep! After mom and everybody got here. We met her and while everything was being remodeled for us it was easy to make a few changes to the house, since we had to alter the roof line anyway." Replied Mia as she opened her top to let her baby feed.

I definitely noticed the widened doorways and much bigger bathroom with the onsen tub." Remarked Roger.

"Have you seen the patio?" Mia asked, "George and Jorge Ortiz, one of the local forest rangers got together and built this amazing barbecue set up. Jorge said it was easier than having to bring his own set up out here when we have barbecues."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Oh yes, George gave me the 50 cent tour. He took me down to see the houses for your family and we looked at the oasis and the fruit trees and the gardens, pretty much everything really."

Roger felt a tiny hand tugging on his shirt sleeve and looking down, he saw a tiny lamia looking up at him, a forked tongue flicking in and out of her tiny mouth. Moments later, she smiled and reached up for him to pick her up.

He smiled back and as he gathered her into his arms, he said softly, "Well looky here! Someone's saying hello!" he made a silly face and the tiny girl grinned while her long tail coiled around underneath her making a sort of bundle as he set her in his lap.

Mia giggled and said gaily, "Now I just fed you! Don't tell me you're hungry again?" The little lamia merely made a "Thbbbbbft!" sound and burrowed into his lap, only to fall fast asleep.

Roger sat quietly gazing out over the desert while the baby lamia slept in his lap. Taking a sip from his now faintly cool beer, he sighed and said softly, "I sure do miss the desert, there's such a stark beauty about it. Most people see only sand and rocks while I see all the rock layers and their subtle colors."

He grinned at Mia and added, "You dad has promised to take me out on a geological tour of this ranch tomorrow. I guess he's still a field geologist at heart."

Mia smiled at him and said playfully, "I could tell you stories about my dad and I going out into the desert near our home, he knew every rock outcropping and wadi in the entire area and I went there with him."

Caressing the tousled head of the baby nursing at her lush bosom she said, "I fully expect him to do the same with my children as well."

Roger smiled as the baby in his lap squirmed in her sleep and he said, "And you won't deny him that right, cause he's 'grampa' now."

Mia smiled and replied happily, "Of course he's grampa now and we will never deny him the divine right of a grandfather to spoil his grandbabies!"

Finishing off his beer, Roger set the can down carefully to avoid wakening his tiny lap guest and leaned back.

His blue eyes gazing out over the desert stretching in all directions around them, he murmured, "Someday, if I live long enough, I'd like to retire to the desert." he looked over at Mia, "Of course that's assuming I live long enough! I've had a lifetime of getting into scrapes and somehow emerging with a whole skin."

He thought for a few moments, "Now that I have Freya in my life, I find myself less inclined to go looking for trouble." he grinned at Mia and asked, "Does this mean I'm finally growing up?"

There was a squirming in his lap as his wee guest adjusted her sleeping position and smacked her tiny lips in her sleep.

He smiled at her tiny form and said softly, "Oooops! I nearly woke her up with my big mouth and my rambling." Mia smiled and said quietly, "She'll be getting hungry pretty soon."

The door opened and Freya came outside to sit in a chair alongside Roger, she leaned back and stretched our her long legs then sat gazing out over the desert. "This is so differen' from back home, everything's all colored brown or tan or beige. There's hardly any green here an' I can see such lang distances, it would be hard tae get lost here." She mused.

Roger smiled at his young companion and said, "Believe me, you can get lost out in the desert. You have to respect it or you'll get into trouble, much like you can get into trouble in the forest."

Freya smiled at him and replied cheerfully, "An' if ye hadnae gotten intae trouble, I wouldnae have met you."

Roger saw Mia wink at him as Freya made her remark and he wanted to retort, but the tiny lamia in his lap stirred and made sucking noises with her mouth.

Mia grinned and said, "Pass her to me and we'll trade babies." The exchange was made without disturbing their peaceful slumber and soon, Mia had a fresh baby nursing at her lush bosom whilst the other dozed in Roger's lap.

Mia's father Phillip came strolling up the driveway from his house. In one hand he carried a basket with a cloth draped over it and on his weathered face a smile.

He was about to call out something when he saw Mia's upright finger pressing against her full lips and he merely smiled at his sleeping grandchildren.

Drawing near, he leaned over to kiss Mia on her forehead and say softly, "I'm going to get the barbecue going, grandma will be along in a few minutes."

Mia smiled at her dad and replied softly, "George should be in the kitchen putting together the side dishes."

Phillip winked at his oldest daughter and entered the house.

Roger glanced over at Freya and noticed she was drooping in her chair so he gently nudged her and said, "Go get yourself a little nap, you've had quite a day."

The girl nodded sleepily and rose from her chair to go inside, but not before she bussed him on his cheek. When she was gone, he saw Mia grinning at him, her amber eyes twinkling in merriment.

Roger grumbled, "Not, one, word!" Mia grinned some more and stifled her giggling as best she could.

Roger picked up his now lukewarm beer and finished it off in one swallow, then sat quietly with a sleeping baby lamia in his lap.

Ayesha came sinuating up to them and smiled at the sight of Roger so occupied in providing a lap for a baby girl, she said softly, "You're quite the natural with babies, that's a good sign."

Mia smiled at her mother and remarked, "We were just sitting here when this one," she indicated the nursing babe, "came out and wanted an 'uppie!' and he couldn't refuse her." Roger just shrugged and remarked quietly, "Can't say no to kids I guess."

Ayesha smiled warmly and sinuated into the house her long, pythonesque tail wriggling behind her.

Roger idly noticed that the door was now a double door with two way hinges for ease of lamia passage.

He remarked to Mia, "I see you changed all the doors to two way doors." Mia grinned and replied, "Yes, we did that shortly after the last time you were here. Conventional doors would sometimes pinch my tail and it really hurt! So all the doors in all these houses are now lamia friendly and it turns out, they're arachne friendly too!"

Roger thought a moment and remarked, "Jeeze, that was...right about the time we brought everyone out of Algeria, almost a year now...Damn, I've been so busy with Freya I'd lost track of the time!"

One hour later and dinner was ready. Phillip and George had whomped up a grill full of sizzling steaks, chicken and sausages, while Ayesha had put together some veggies and a salad to balance out the carnivorous portion of the dinner.

Roger and Freya sat down at their table and were soon joined by her new friends, Natalie and Zenobia. Zenobia being an arachne with her eight spider legs, sat on a sort of pedestal which Roger couldn't resist dubbing 'her tuffet' after the nursery rhyme. Natalie like all lamias, sat on her own massive coils.

The next table over accommodated George and Mia with their two children and her parents, Phillip and Ayesha. A third table was for Mia's other two sisters, Katherine and Rosalind. Sitting with them was Brad Henderson, one of the younger forest rangers, he and Katherine had become friendly and were often seen talking together.

Mia had confided to Roger that she felt they were taking things a little too slowly to which Roger had replied with a sly grin, "You and George were a special case, Cupid shot you two full of arrows before you knew what hit you!"

Mia just made a face and stuck her long, forked tongue out at him in reply.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The food was very good and the assembled diners quickly plowed through much of it, while Roger, George, Brad Henderson and Phillip supped at their glasses of ale after every bite.

The adult ladies enjoyed a gently chilled wine assortment to go with the meats being offered, while the kids had various soft drinks.

When most of the food was gone, George brought out the dessert, an upside down pineapple cake baked in a very large cast iron skillet and soon, everyone was quietly nibbling at the dessert 'like grandma used to make' quipped George.

Roger chuckled and retorted, "You never knew your grandma and neither did I know mine!"

George merely shrugged and retorted, "I got the recipe off the internet and the skillet at a thrift store, so sue me!"

Mia, without missing a beat said, " You boys play nice now! Don't make me intervene."

Roger grinned at her and said cheerfully, "Yes ma'am!"

George simply smiled at his wife's implied threat.

Moments after that Roger once again, felt a slight tugging on his sleeve. Not bothering to even look, he reached down and lifted the baby lamia into his lap for an after dinner nap.

Mia sipped at her coffee, smiled and murmured, "She really likes you, our girls are usually fairly shy around relative strangers and you, they barely know. Yet there they are, taking turns coiling up in your lap to sleep."

"I just have that effect on kids, I bore them so much they fall asleep on me!" he said with his crooked grin in place.

Mia grinned at him and remarked drily, "Hopefully, they'll let Freya have you back again!"

Freya glanced over at the mention of her name and Roger quickly said, "Mia's just being a tease, her babies have taken a liking to me and she's implying they'll take possession of me." for emphasis, he pointed at the tiny lamia coiled up in his lap.

Freya smiled slightly and went back to talking with Natalie and Zenobia, her attention focused on the subject of discussion.

Roger muttered to Mia, "Nice try, lady!"

She merely smiled and hefted one of her babies to her waiting breast to suckle. The other baby smiled in her sleep and coiled a little bit tighter.

Phillip and Ayesha rose from their places, with Ayesha saying softly, "We are going to retire for the evening. Phillip has a long day planned for tomorrow and wants to get his rest."

Phillip grinned at Roger and said, "We'll be leaving early, so don't be up too late."

Roger smiled back and replied, "Gotcha!"

As they left, Mia called out merrily, "Now you two behave yourselves!"

Ayesha merely smiled back and sinuated slowly alongside her husband of many years, her hips swaying suggestively as she held her husband's hand, like always.

Shortly after that Roger excused himself and said, "I'm turning in, I have a feeling Phillip's going to try and wear me out tomorrow!"

Freya made a motion to rise herself and Roger said cheerfully, "You don't have to leave just yet, stay up as long as you like!"

Freya smiled at him and resumed talking to her new friends.

The alarm jangling woke him from a sound sleep and Roger rose to shut it off before it woke Freya.

Pulling on his clothes and tying his boots, Roger entered the restroom, relieved himself and washed up for breakfast.

Entering the kitchen, Roger saw Phillip already there with a cup of coffee sitting before him.

Mia was coiled up across from her father and they were simply enjoying a quiet morning together.

She smiled at Roger and said pleasantly, "Would you like a little breakfast before you go?" Roger smiled at his charming hostess and while pouring himself a cup of coffee said, "Just a bagel and cream cheese will be enough, thank you."

Mia raised one eyebrow and said skeptically, "You sure that's going to be enough? Dad's a pretty energetic hiker."

Roger shrugged and replied, "Okay, how about frying an egg and adding a slice of cheese to that bagel and we'll call it good."

Mia smiled and turned on the burner just as Freya came into the kitchen still sleepy eyed, she blinked a few times and mumbled, "Guid morrow an' could ye please make me one of those too?"

Roger grinned at his tall companion and wordlessly filled a cup of coffee for her too.

Sitting down at the breakfast table, Freya dosed up her coffee with cream and sugar then took a large sup.

Setting her now nearly empty cup back down, she sighed and said, "Ahhhh! Ye make verra guid coffee, I thank ye."

Mia grinned at her and replied, "You're very welcome dear, your bagel, egg and cheese will be ready very shortly." she grinned at Roger and her father and said, "I haven't forgotten you two, your food is almost ready!"

Roger refilled his, Phillip's, and Freya's coffee cups while Mia was finishing up and soon, the three of them were noshing on their fried egg and cheese on a bagel sandwiches from Mia's kitchen.

Between bites, Roger asked Freya, "What are you up to today? I figured you'd be conked out for a while longer."

Freya hastily swallowed her bite of sandwich and replied, "I thought I'd come alang, Natalie told me it would be fun."

Phillip grinned and remarked, "I've found a couple of really good gemstone and fossil localities and once I've figured out where they fit into the stratigraphic column around here, I'll write up a report on them."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "Still a field geologist eh?"

"Yep, not quite ready to hang up the rock pick just yet." replied Phillip with a grin.

Finishing off their food, the trio spent a few minutes assembling their day packs and in Freya's case, applying sunscreen quite liberally.

Shortly after leaving the house Phillip said, "This ranch has about ten thousand acres of land, that's over fifteen square miles, and I have only explored about a quarter of it."

He pointed out a distinct feature in the distant horizon to the north, "That's the Mogollon Rim, it's the edge of a great plateau that stretches across most of Arizona. What you're seeing is the pine forests that grow on top of it and it does snow up there during the winter. We can see it because much of it is above seven thousand feet in altitude. While we're at around seventeen to eighteen hundred feet."

He grinned at Freya and said playfully, "It may even get cold enough for you up there, Freya."

She merely shrugged and replied pleasantly, "It is cold when th' trees crack their trunks from th' sap freezing inside them." she grinned and said, "It doesnae get nearly cold enough down here!"

Phillip glanced at Roger and raised an eyebrow, Roger smiled back and remarked, "Freya typically wears the lightest clothing of all her friends, even in the dead of winter she'll wear only a long sleeve shirt while everyone else is looking like little Eskimos in their big parkas."

Phillip chuckled and remarked, "Down here we get the hot summers, which lamias thrive in with their love of the heat." he grinned and said, "The girls would go almost naked if I didn't insist on a degree of modesty."

They came to a jumbled rock outcropping and Phillip declared, "This is a good deposit of chalcedony that is quite colorful and would make good lapidary projects."

He grinned and said, "Being in the middle of a nature preserve means this stuff is mostly untouched, rock hounds would have otherwise dug a lot of this up already."

Freya stooped to pick up a loose chunk of the colorful stone and examined it, turning the stone over in her hands, she remarked quietly, "It's sae smooth, it's like wax, there's nae grain tae it like th' rocks back home." Phillip smiled and replied, "It has a microcystalline structure and can be broken along the grain line to make stone tools, flint is a form of this rock that was used to make stone tools."

Phillip pointed at a nearby scattering of chalcedony chips and remarked, "The Indians used to come here and gather chunks of this to make tools, those chips you see are where they were checking it for quality."

"Indians?" asked Freya.

"An old term for the Native Americans, Phillip's just showing his age." answered Roger with a wink and a grin.

"Och, aye, we called them the wee red men, they who shared thes land wi' us." remarked Freya.

Phillip smiled and commented, "I really gotta see your people Freya, the photos Roger showed me are not really showing just how big they are." he smiled and said, "It's remarkable how you've remained hidden for so long in Canada, a fairly well developed country. My family stayed hidden because much of Algeria is barren desert and it's easy to get lost in the Sahara desert."

Phillip led them up a rocky cleft to show them a cave he had found, in it were ancient artifacts left behind by their makers. Standing in the cool entrance, they looked inside as Phillip said, "I've left this as I found it, I've contacted an archaeologist over at the nature preserve and they're coming to see it next week."

"What're they going tae do with it?" asked Freya.

"Probably the same thing I did, take a bunch of photos and notes, then leave it be." replied Phillip with a smile.

He pointed at some stone chips lying outside near the entrance, "I think these chips are from the same chalcedony out cropping I showed you earlier. Though without doing a mass spectrometer analysis, I can't be certain."

Roger commented, "I wouldn't be surprised, they are fairly close to each other."

Phillip grinned and replied, "It is a safe assumption, however some of the obsidian chips came from as far away as California, a place called the Coso Obsidian fields. That site was worked for some twelve thousand years by the paleoindians. I haven't seen it, but I've heard it is quite impressive in its extent."

Lunch was eaten in the shade of a large boulder sitting at the head of a small spring trickling out of the hillside behind the boulder. The spring fed a pond that had tiny fish swimming in it to Freya's delight and she sat eating her sandwich and occasionally dropping a bit of bread into the water to watch the little fish swarm around it, greedily eating it.

She looked up from her fish watching and asked, "How did th' wee fishies get here,of all places?" Phillip took a sip of his water and replied, "The climate was a lot wetter and cooler about fifteen thousand years ago, there was a whole complex of lakes and streams in this entire area and these 'wee fishies' as you put it, are some of the survivors."

"Only these wee fishies?" remarked Freya with consternation in her voice.

Phillip smiled and replied, "There are many other small lakes and ponds in the area that have fish populations, so these are not the only ones here."

He smiled and remarked, "There is a couple of caves in the area that have blind fish living in them, because being in total darkness, why have eyes when there is no light?"

"Can we go see them?" asked Freya.

Phillip replied, "Sorry, we can't, not today, we don't have any flashlights or climbing gear and all of us are a little big to go crawling around in a cave."

Phillip leaned back and sighed, "This ranch was surrounded by the nature preserve when it was established and before that, the former owners really protected it from trespassers. So it's this pristine wilderness area, with all kinds of archaeological and paleontological sites that haven't been disturbed. It's like a giant treasure chest and I get to explore it!"

Roger chuckled and commented, "It must be nice having such a big playground!"

Phillip laughed and retorted, "The Sahara was my playground and once I met Ayesha and we began having kids, we had figured on staying there. Then you and George came into our lives...Now we are here in Arizona and our former home has been overrun by religious extremists. But, on the flip side, we have grand kids now and our other daughters have a better chance at finding husbands. So it's all good now!"

Roger grinned and remarked, "I think you'll have more grand kids before too much longer, ol' Georgie can't keep his hands off of Mia and vice versa from what I've seen."

Phillip smiled and replied, "We expect them to have more children, with our survival assured, those two can have as many kids as they want. Ayesha is already thinking about a lamia village, of which she will be the matron."

Roger commented, "Rachel has said to me that there is a rumored lamia village somewhere in Egypt and she is thinking of sending George and myself to make contact."

Phillip smiled and remarked, "Ayesha has said something similar to me about Rachel asking her for information regarding other lamias. It would be nice if we did find more lamias, I'd hate to think they came so close to extinction."

The two men gazed at Freya sitting on the rocks, her long legs dangling over the water and her attention focused on the tiny fish still swimming about the bit of bread she had dropped into the water. Phillip asked quietly, "What about her people? How many are there?"

Roger thought for a few moments and replied, "Not sure exactly, her people are scattered all across Canada, especially in the more remote areas. They've only recently abandoned their practice of disguising themselves as bears while traveling, too many of them were getting shot by hunters shooting from a long distance with scope sighted rifles."

"Damn, that's a hell of a way to go. Shot by a hunter." muttered Phillip.

"Yes, I've met a couple of widows who weren't too happy to see me because of that. At first, they thought of me as being a 'Scandi'." remarked Roger.

"Scandi?"

"A Jotun term for the ancestors of the Scandinavians who came up from the south as the ice sheet melted back after the end of the last ice age." replied Roger.

"Freya's grandmother has quite a library of Jotun literature and lore and really ancient maps. It's all written in their language and I speak almost none of it."

He grinned at Freya who was now listening to them and remarked, "Freya here can read and write in her language and will write notes to herself in her language, it's kind of hilarious to see her friends reactions when she automatically writes something down in runes, instead of English."

"Kind of hilarious?"

"Yeah, I think so, though I'm not going to laugh out loud, y'know that pesky 'adults setting an example' sort of thing." replied Roger with a grin.

Phillip chuckled and replied, "Yes, there is that to consider."

"Where to next?" asked Roger after they had straightened up again. Phillip grinned and replied, "We will be making our way back to the house and my grand kids and a well earned cold beer!" "Lead on, Mac Duff!" replied Roger with a slight bow and a sweeping of his hand gesture. Phillip set out with a mile eating stride and Roger took Freya's hand and they fell in behind him as he led them over a series of well worn trails.

He called over his shoulder, "This is my family's 'jogging track' if you will. They time each other over this course and the loser has to do chores."

Roger laughed and commented, "Exercise and work avoidance, all in one go. Makes perfect sense!" Phillip grinned and retorted, "Don't tell them that, you'll ruin everything!" Roger grinned and made a zip across his lips and tossing the key motion .


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After a long uphill slog, the ground leveled out and they strode along enjoying the desert scenery.

Phillip pointed out a dark opening in a rocky slope to their left and said, "See that old mine shaft? That's where Zenobia lived before we met her. Sadly, her parents and siblings are all buried there, they were killed in a rock fall deep inside the mine."

Freya suddenly stopped and said stoutly, "I must pay me respects!" her facial expression left no room for an argument, so they walked over to the gloomy tunnel entrance.

Freya paused and stood with her hands pressed together, her head bowed slightly, her bright blue eyes closed and her lips moving silently.

Straightening up again, Freya said quietly to Roger, "I wish tae build an inukshuk here, fur 'er family."

Phillip raised one eyebrow and asked, "What on earth is an inukshuk?"

Freya replied mildly, "Inukshuk ur stone structures me fowk built tae mark their ways athwart th' northlands. Th' wee red men adopted them an' built their own."

Phillip blinked for a moment and asked, "Stone structures... You mean like, stonehenge type stone structures?"

Freya merely smiled in reply and Phillip laughed, "So it was your people who built all those megaliths across northern Europe?"

Freya's broad grin was all the reply he needed and he said cheerfully, "Okay, let's build an inukshuk!"

He held up a finger and said firmly, "But, not today! I want all of us to help with this, so we will all have a hand in this tribute to Zenobia's family."

Freya smiled and impulsively hugged Phillip in her enthusiasm, to which he replied, "Damn...You're pretty strong for such a slender girl."

Crossing the rest of the level area, they stopped at the edge and saw the lamia houses all neatly laid out below them.

On the basketball half court near George and Mia's house, they could see Natalie and Zenobia darting about playing one on one basketball.

Roger smiled and said playfully, "We could have just climbed this hill and saved ourselves a lot of walking!"

Phillip chuckled and retorted, "And where would be the fun in that? Think of all the things you wouldn't have seen otherwise."

Stepping forward, they began their cautious descent down the long slope, mostly trying to avoid dislodging any rocks that could go tumbling down the slope.

Part way down, Phillip pointed out a notch in the edge of the level area and said, "Zenobia had a spider-hole right there so she could watch our daily comings and goings. When she first saw Mia, she was so surprised that she dislodged a boulder and its crashing down the slope, alerted us to her presence."

Roger chuckled a bit and remarked, "So I'd heard, George sent me a email describing their meeting her. Glad to see she decided to stick around."

Phillip smiled and remarked, "So am I, she and Natalie have become good friends and Natalie has helped her overcome some of her shyness."

Roger smiled and remarked, "Considering that she has what looks like a brown recluse violin mark on her lower abdomen, I'd say shyness is in her nature, most likely."

Once they got to the bottom of the long slope Freya asked if she could go talk to Zenobia about her idea for building an inukshuk near her family's rocky tomb. Roger gave her a nod and she quickly kissed him on his slightly grizzled cheeks and dashed off to see her new friends.

Phillip watched her flying form as she ran and commented, "That girl is going to be quite the looker with those long legs of hers and her general Norse goddess look."

"Don't remind me!" muttered Roger, "I've seen the way men will check her out until they realize she's only a child. I can only imagine the attention she'll get at full growth!"

Phillip smiled at him and remarked, "You have my sympathies, let me buy you a beer!"

Roger smiled back and replied with a grin, "I must warn you, I'm not a cheap date!"

Phillip just laughed and retorted, "As if! I just want to do an internet search and see what the hell an inukshuk actually looks like."

"Does this mean I don't get a beer after all?"

Phillip grinned and replied, "Of course, I'd hate to see a grown man cry!"

As they got closer to the house, two tiny lamias came slithering out of the house and sped towards them with big smiles on their little faces.

Grampa was back!

Phillip stooped slightly and scooped up the first one, she grinned happily and twined herself around his upper body, looking for all the world like a large python attached to a toddler about nine months old.

Moments later, it was Roger's turn as he too, scooped up a baby girl and he too, got the sensation of having a toddler sized python twining herself around him and snuggling.

Mia came outside, grinned and exclaimed, "So that's where you two little scamps have gotten off to! I wondered why you two suddenly took off like you did."

She laughed and said happily, "They certainly do like you Rodge!"

Roger shrugged as best he could with a young lamia wrapped around him and replied with a grin, "Little kids and puppy dogs, they can't resist me!"

They all came inside the house and while Phillip was carefully extricating himself from a tiny lamia's coils, Roger asked, "Can we borrow your computer for a few minutes?"

"Of course, it's right down the hall in the study."

Mia sinuated up to him and said, "Here, give me the kid and you can use the computer without any distractions."

Roger chuckled and gently uncoiled the tiny lamia wrapped around his upper body while Mia gently coaxed her into letting him go.

The little girl made a series of "Thbbbbft!" noises to express her opinion about being foisted off onto her own mother, until Mia opened her top and exposed a milk laden breast, whereupon the wee lass began suckling upon the proffered nipple.

A quick search later and Phillip was looking at images of various inukshuks that had been put up around the world.

He glanced at Roger and said, "So this is an inukshuk? Seems simple enough to build."

Roger smiled and replied, "I thought so too, until I had to help Freya build one in our backyard. They're quite the balancing act done with stones. She had all of us sorting through this big pile of rocks looking for that perfect piece!"

Phillip studied the images and scribbled down some notes, then commented, "Finding these sort of rocks might be a little tricky around here, they seem to be mostly made out of flat stones laid together. It might take a couple of days before we can find the rocks she wants to use."

Roger shrugged and replied, "We got the time, she doesn't have to go back for three more days, if that helps."

Phillip grimaced slightly and commented, "That's cutting it a little fine time wise."

Roger thought for a bit and said, "I don't think she expects it to get it put up in one attempt, but we can gather the stones she'll want, then the next time we come down, we can work on it some more."

Freya literally came bouncing into the house and she impulsively glomped onto Roger before cheerfully declaring, "Zenobia likes mah idea! She says she knows whaur we can gie some stoatin stones fur it too!"

Phillip blinked a couple of times before he asked, "Okay, will we be able to use a truck to get these 'stoatin stones' you're referring too?"

Freya furrowed her brow in thought for a moment and she replied, "I'm nae sure, she said she ken whaur tae get th' stones, I didnae ask aboot onie trucks."

Roger smiled and said, "We can ask her, she's coming in right now."

They turned to see the double doors opening and Zenobia's arachnid form entering the house.

Seeing them all looking at her in anticipation, Zenobia paused and said hesitantly, "I'm sorry, am I interrupting anything?"

Phillip smiled at her and replied, "No dear, you are not interrupting. We just have a couple of questions to ask you. You told Freya, you knew of a source for stones, and we just want to know if we can get to it with a truck or two?"

Zenobia's multiple eyes blinked rapidly and she said quietly, "I'm not sure, I've never thought about getting any of them before. Freya told me what she wants to do and I just thought of those rocks. I guess you could get a truck in there, if you really wanted to."

Phillip smiled at her and asked, "Would you like to show us where these stones are?"

Zenobia smiled hesitantly and replied, "Okay."

"Is tomorrow morning okay? Asked Roger.

"Yes, after breakfast?" Replied Zenobia.

Roger grinned at the shy arachne and said cheerfully, "Of course! We wouldn't want you going hungry over some rocks."

The next morning after a nice breakfast, Phillip led Roger, Freya and Zenobia to his truck, a cut down army surplus 5 ton truck.

Roger laughed and commented, "And here I thought that Unimog we drove in Algeria was a monster! I haven't ridden in one of these in years!"

Zenobia climbed into the rear bed and hunkered down while Roger and Freya climbed into the passenger compartment.

After a brief warmup, Phillip put the heavy truck in gear and with Zenobia giving directions, they drove off into the desert to gather stones for Freya's project.

Phillip used the truck's massive torque to power his way over the hills and across the flats until Zenobia cried out, "We are here!" and they stopped at an out cropping of sandstone that tended to split neatly in layers and made good paving stones.

Phillip grinned and said, "Now I know where to go next time I need some paving stones." Exiting the bulky truck, the four of them began searching or rather watching, while Freya picked out the stones she wanted and they loaded them into the bed of the truck.

Roger and Phillip sometimes waited while Freya and Zenobia conferred on a choice between several different stones.

Phillip said quietly to Roger, "She takes this inukshuk thing pretty seriously doesn't she?" Roger smiled as he watched his ever growing young companion pondering a stone and where it could go, then replied. "She does take things fairly seriously, especially something like this. I've learned to just stay out of her way when she's got an idea like this."

Phillip briefly gaped when he saw Freya lift a large stone with little effort and place it in the truck before returning for more stones.

Roger said softly, "She's also very strong, all jotuns are. One of her aunts lifted me like I was a small boy again, it was a little disconcerting and Freya wasn't too happy about it." Phillip lifted one eyebrow and commented, "Was it the lifting you part or was it the part that followed?"

Roger muttered, "It was the kissing me part she objected to."

Phillip grinned at him and said playfully, "Playing with a giantess' heart could be a bad idea."

Freya's voice broke into their exchange when she said, "Come give us a han' wi' these stones instead a gabbin' aboot naethin'."

The two men grinned and began heaving the stones Freya had laboriously picked out for her project.

They handed them up to Freya and she wrestled them into place in the truck's bed. When the last of the stones had been loaded, the three of them stretched to unkink sore muscles. Meanwhile Zenobia quickly wove a net over the stones carefully placed in the bed of the ex-military truck.

Within a few minutes, she had woven an effective cargo net and was now perched on top of the pile of stones.

She smiled at them before saying, "All tied down, we can go now if you like!"

Phillip smiled at his daughter's young friend and said, "I'll go slow so you can relax back there."

Zenobia smirked and replied, "Go as fast as you like, I can hang on with ease."

Phillip grinned and was about to retort when Freya said firmly, "An ye'll dae naethin' ay th' kind, Ah went to some trooble to get these stones and ye'll not bang them aw up wi' yer crazy drivin'!"

Phillip chuckled and replied with a grin, "Yes, ma'am!" as he climbed into the cab of the truck to start it up.

The drive back to the house was faster once Phillip got onto one of the dirt roads and followed it back to the house, rather than breaking bush as he had on their way to the stone quarry.

Parking the truck in front, they exited and went inside to wash up before eating.

Ayesha was inside the house with Mia and George and their children.

The twins quickly twined themselves around Phillip and Roger much to George's amusement, as they had been twined around him when they came in.

George grinned and commented drily, "I do hope my girls get a better taste in men when they come of age."

Roger chuckled and retorted, "Oh, they'll figure me out before too long." he made a silly face at his tiny, serpentine companion, who giggled and imitated his silly face before happily making a "Thbbbbft!" noise.

Mia smiled and said cheerfully, "Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes. So if you want a beer or something before then, you're on your own!" Roger smiled at her and said, "I really just want some cool water, the beer can wait." He rose with a small serpentine person still twined around him and got himself some water before returning to the living room.

Dinner was a large tamale pie and a southwestern salad made from recipes Mia had gotten from Rosa Ortiz.

Baked in a large, cast iron dutch oven, it made a filling and easy to make meal and was enough for everyone including Mia's three sisters.

Served out on the patio where there was plenty of room for five adult lamias, an arachne, a young frost giantess and the human men who loved them.

The meal went nicely and for George, Roger and Phillip the beer was a welcome addition. Meanwhile, the adult ladies all had a sangria dessert wine served chilled, with slices of oranges floating on top of the potent beverage. The youngsters all had a fruit punch, to Freya's dismay as she sometimes had a small glass of ale with her dinner and was a bit non plussed at the beverage offered to her.

When she gave Roger a questioning look, he simply replied, "Their house, their rules." and she drank her punch without comment.

The sun was just over the eastern horizon as they pulled up near the mine entrance and stopped. Zenobia climbed down from her perch on the truck while Phillip, Roger, George and Freya exited the cab.

Today, they were going to start building an Inukshuk as a tribute to Zenobia's family who lay buried in a rock fall deep inside the old mine shaft they had called home.

They emptied the truck and laid the stones out for Freya to pick over as she built the Inukshuk.

At her direction, George and Roger leveled off a couple of areas to lay the stones upon and began stacking the heavy stones as she selected them.

When the two stacks reached the height she wanted, a much larger slab was chosen to bridge the space between the stacks.

There was a halt in the work as she stood with furrowed brow pondering her next move. Freya stared at the rock pile as if by sheer force of will, she could shape the very stone she wanted.

Sighing in frustration, Freya looked about the area until she spied a large, squarish stone and smiled.

Pointing at it she declared, "Ah want 'at stone!" and she strode over to it and stood it on one end to Phillip and George's amazement.

George exclaimed, "Jeeze girl, take it easy, you could hurt yourself!"

Roger just laughed and commented, "Who do you think built all those megalithic structures all across Northern Europe and Canada? It's a jotun thing. They all do it!"

Phillip shrugged and brought over a couple of stout planks for them to lay the heavy stone on. Taking hold of the ends, the four of them carried the stone over to the Inukshuk and heaved it into place on top of the cross piece.

Freya stepped back to critique her work, after a few moments she took up a four pound hammer and large chisel. Placing the chisel where she wanted it, she swung the hammer and knocked a nice chunk of the stone to the ground, then with a few more blows of the hammer, she finished shaping the stone to her satisfaction.

Next, she picked out two flat stones and asked George and Phillip, "Coolds ye please hold these stones togaither fur a few moments?"

When they held the stones together like she had asked, she asked Roger, "Lend me a han' will ye please?"

And together, they heaved a large flat stone on top of the two stones placed together end to end. Lastly, Freya selected a smaller squarish stone and after turning it round and round, she placed it on top of the whole stone structure. She stepped back and admired it for a few moments before turning to Zenobia with a smile and saying, "Ah am finished, how dae ye like it?"

Zenobia's multiple eyes began blinking rapidly and she flushed slightly and scuttled forward to hug Freya before saying very softly, "I love it, thank you very much!"

Freya squeezed her gently and replied, "Ahm glad, I felt sae badly when Ah learnt of yer family's fate an' wanted tae dae thes in their honor."

They were about to say more when the sinuating forms of Mia and her little twins followed by her sisters and mother came into view.

Mia carried a large basket and had a big smile on her beautiful face. Natalie carried in her hands a basket with tools and some cactus in it.

She smiled at her friend and sinuated over to the Inukshuk. She placed her hands together briefly and closed her amber eyes for a brief prayer.

She dug a couple of small holes and carefully planted the cactus at the base of the monument to Zenobia's lost family.

The lamias sinuated around the stone structure singing softly in their almost forgotten language, then each of them laid a small token at the base of the structure in respect before leaving the circle to hug Zenobia.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mia opened her basket and in it were sandwiches for them to eat.

She smiled and said cheerfully, "I figured you guys might be hungry about now and seeing as how you hadn't taken a lunch and the girls wanted to see their daddy..."

Phillip grinned at his oldest daughter and remarked, "As always, your timing is excellent and my grandkids are most welcome!"

Mia handed out the sandwiches and they all ate ravenously, they hadn't realized just how hungry they were.

Afterwards, George, Roger and Phillip picked up their tools and were making ready to leave when George paused a moment and said, "You two go on ahead, I'm gonna stay here for a bit."

Roger glanced at Freya and asked, "Are you coming?"

Freya smiled at him and replied, "Ah will in a bit, Ah want to set here a spell an' think aboot things."

Phillip started up the big truck then he and Roger rode in it back down to the ranch house.

While he drove, Phillip commented, "Freya is quite the force of nature isn't she?"

Roger chuckled then replied, "She can be when she has something she really wants to do. She insisted on putting up the one we built in our back yard, claimed it would make her feel more at home, just having one nearby."

Phillip chuckled and commented, "Just keep her happy is all I can suggest my friend."

Roger laughed and replied, "Fortunately, she is not a complicated young woman and doesn't ask for very much. I am grateful for that...It's funny how I get along with her better than I did with my two ex-wives who were the demanding types."

Phillip merely smiled at Roger's comment.

"So, when do you guys have to leave?" asked Phillip.

"Tomorrow afternoon I'm afraid, we'll take an afternoon flight back to Portland. She'll have a few days for her sunburn to heal up some more before she goes back to school next week."

Phillip grinned at him and said, "You'll have to come down when you have more time, I can teach her how to drive this truck!"

Roger laughed and remarked, "She'll love that! Then she'll start bugging me about a truck for her to drive."

That evening's meal was a simple affair. George grilled up a bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs. Mia made an excellent potato salad and everybody dug in.

Afterwards, the patio lights were dimmed and binoculars were brought out for star gazing while enjoying the balmy evening breezes.

Roger as usual, found himself with a lap full of baby lamias who curled up with him and dozed.

They knew that they were perfectly safe with their 'Unca Roger'.

Mia seeing his plight, came to his rescue and retrieved her tiny twins. Suddenly freed, Roger took the opportunity to totter off to bed himself, leaving Freya to hang out with her new friends as late as she wanted to.

When Roger woke up the next morning, Freya was already up and out of the house. She had gone off with Natalie and Zenobia, as he was informed by Mia when he finally tottered into the kitchen to get himself a breakfast.

Mia smiled as he poured himself a coffee and made room om his lap for a baby lamia, she chuckled softly and said, "Those two are going to miss you after you leave, they really took to you."

Roger sipped at his coffee and made a silly face at his tiny lap occupant who broke into the giggles.

He sat sideways as he ate, to leave room for his python sized visitor so she wouldn't be disturbed.

Roger glanced up at the clock and asked, "Did they say when they would be back? We do have a flight to catch this afternoon."

Mia looked thoughtful and replied, "I think they said about noon?"

She set down her own plate of food and coiled up at the kitchen table while deftly reaching over the table with the tip of her long, powerful tail, coiling the end of it around her child and lifting her from Roger's lap. The girl protested only until she found Mia's milky nipple and began nursing contentedly.

George came in from the back patio and after washing his hands, he began making himself a breakfast.

Over the sizzling of the eggs and sausages he commented, "I saw a bunch of new gopher tortoise burrows this morning, I think the population is recovering nicely since we chased off the ravens."

Roger grinned and remarked, "Freya got quite the introduction to those tortoises when we first got here."

George laughed and replied, "Yes, I think old Mr. Tortoise is still deeply offended at her temerity!"

Roger had nearly finished his breakfast when he felt another small presence making itself known by slithering into his lap and coiling up to snuggle against him.

He smiled at his tiny visitor and caressed her little head as she snuggled, her face, a study in contentment.

After he ate, Roger sorted through his luggage and packed his bags with his ever present, tiny serpentine watchers coiling together on his bed.

Freya came back from her last morning outing with her new friends, her pale skin glistening from the perspiration of recent strenuous exercise, an impromptu round of basketball between three friends.

As usual, she didn't hesitate to strip down in front of Roger and jump into the shower.

A few minutes later, she reemerged and toweled off vigorously while Roger discreetly slipped out of their bedroom followed by his tiny, wriggling observers.

They all had a nice lunch together out on the patio and afterwards, there was a lingering round of hugs and fare-thee-wells before George, Roger and Freya climbed into the large van and waved goodbye to everybody.

The drive back to the airport went smoothly and when George pulled the van up to the passenger loading area, he and Roger exchanged a manly embrace before he hugged Freya and said, "It was very nice meeting you and we hope to see you again real soon!"

Freya smiled at him and replied, "It was verra nice meeting all of ye too. I liked roaming aboot th' desert wi' me new friends!"

Roger and Freya waved goodbye as George hastily climbed back into his van and sped off towards home again.

They checked in their baggage and went through the security checkpoint. It was there that they encountered a minor snag, an overly zealous security guard looked closely at Freya's boarding pass and commented, "Aren't you a little big to be calling yourself a child? You're taller than I am and you're claiming to be only eleven? What gives?"

Freya stood there blinking, not sure of how to reply.

"Speak up, answer my question!" he demanded.

"Ah am only eleven summers auld, why woolds Ah lie tae ye?"

He squinted at her and demanded harshly, "Where are you from? You talk funny!"

Freya had opened her mouth to reply when Roger stepped in, "Okay tiger, you've made your point, we get it, you're a dick. The girl is eleven years old, she's from Canada and she lives with me as my foster child. Now, are you going to let us board the flight, or do I have to talk to your superiors about you overstepping your authority?"

The security guard, taken aback by Roger's comments, sullenly handed Freya her boarding pass and called out "Next!" They hastened to board the plane and settled in for the flight back to Portland, Oregon.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A Brazilian adventure

Shortly after coming back from Arizona and their spring break vacation.

Freya was back in school and hanging out with her friends again.

Today, she was staying after school and playing basketball with her friend, Lorna Yamada.

Per their prior arrangement, Roger would be picking her up from Lorna's house after dinner.

Roger privately envied her, Lorna's grandmother was doing the cooking and had promised Freya a real treat for dinner.

Lorna had commented, "You'd better appreciate this, Gramma doesn't cook very often any more and for her to do the cooking, means she really likes you!"

Freya smiled and replied happily,"Och, I am sae lookin' for'ard tae thes!"

Lorna merely shrugged and remarked with a grin, "What ever it was you said!"

The letter in their mailbox was unexpected and it bore a foreign stamp, Brazil. It was from the TAM museum in Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Opening it up he read:

Mr. Roger Tate

1432 Woodlane road.

Portland, Or.

USA

Dear Mr. Tate,

It has come to our attention that you are seeking a large, amphibious aircraft.

We have a Martin Mariner PBM-5 that is surplus to our needs. It is missing its engines but is in otherwise, sound mechanical condition. We are asking $250,000.00 USD for this aircraft, as you are affiliated with a museum involved in extensive field research. We are offering it to you first. If you are interested in this offer, please contact us within 21 days of receiving this letter.

Respectfully yours,

Hector Contreras, Director

MuseoTAM

Roger read the letter through several times, then called his boss.

Rachel Thompson answered the phone before the third ring, "Hi Rodge! What's up?"

"You got a couple of minutes?" he replied.

"Sure thing, what can I help you with?"

Holding the letter in his hands Roger said, "I got this strange letter today, it came all the way from Brazil..."

"Is it from the TAM museum?" interrupted Rachel.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact it is. Did you get one too?" asked Roger.

"Yes, and so did Henri duValliere." replied Rachel.

Roger laughed and said, "Wow! So, who didn't get one of these, I wonder?"

"Do you think it's legit?" asked Rachel.

"It's hard to say, the TAM museum is a real place, I've heard of it but haven't seen it. The missing engines could be a problem though."

"Why is that?" asked Rachel again.

Roger sighed and said frankly, " Well for starters, Wright Cyclone fourteen cylinder engines are a bit scarce these days. We would need complete units too, carburetors and everything. Assuming that those are missing too."

"Damn...That sounds expensive...Anything you can do with your old airplane connections?"

He chuckled and replied, "Well, yeah, if your looking for things for an old Beech Craft or such like. This is a Martin Mariner PBM-5, that's whole new level of scarcity."

" Last question, just what is so special about this airplane?"

Roger replied, "It's an amphibious aircraft, meaning it can land on either water or dry land. As I recall it's a honkin' big plane too, about the size of a B-24 liberator bomber."

"Is that a good thing?"

"If a fully grown Freya can stand up straight inside of it, yes, it's a good thing."

Rachel chuckled and remarked, "That could be a good thing...Are you able to get away for about a week? And is your passport current?"

"Yes and I have my shots up to date as well. I'll ask around and get back to you." replied Roger.

When he knocked on the door to Lorna's house, her mother answered it and said happily, "You're just in time for dessert! Come in! Come in!"

Leaving his shoes on the stoop, Roger entered the Yamada house and smiled at the sight of Freya sitting on her knees in traditional Japanese fashion, she was young and flexible enough to get away with it.

He knew better than to try.

Lorna, her father Toshiro and her grandmother were seated on a plinth and playing a lively tune on their shamisens.

After a couple of minutes, Roger realized they were playing Kentucky blue grass music on Japanese instruments and Freya was smiling happily the whole time.

Mrs. Yamada tugged gently on his sleeve and murmured, "Come into the kitchen." he followed her and she handed him a bowl with a couple of round rice flour balls in it.

They were cold to the touch.

Roger grinned as he picked up the pale green one and took a small bite. "Green tea mochi ice cream!" he said, she smiled and said, "The other one is mango, Lorna made them, we're thinking of making our own for the shop."

Roger grinned at her and said, " They are pretty good and if you can make them fairly cheaply, why not? You're already selling them at your shop, making your own is simply the next step."

She smiled at him and remarked, "We think so too and wanted your opinion on the quality." He grinned at her and commented, "You've got the quality, now you've got to work on the quantity."

The music had stopped and they could hear Freya cheerfully clapping, so Roger and Mrs. Yamada left the kitchen and came into the living room.

Freya smiled at him happily and declared, "I love tae hear them playin' th' shamisen. There's somthin' aboot th' soond of them."

She rose to her feet in one swift move and hugged Roger. He grinned and asked, "You behaved yourself?"

"Of coorse, ye thenk I'll make trooble?" replied Freya.

"There's always a first time..." he replied with a wink.

Freya turned to Lorna's family and bowed to her grandmother before saying, "Thenk ye sae much, I really appreciated th' dinner."

The tiny, white haired woman smiled and said, "It was my pleasure to cook for someone who appreciates it so much!"

On the drive back to their house, Roger showed Freya the letter. She read it through a couple of times then asked, "Brazil, that's way south of here isnae it?"

"Yes, it's several thousand miles from here actually, I'd have to look up the actual distance but yes, it's a long flight." replied Roger.

"Are we going down there?" asked Freya.

"We're thinking about it, I've talked to Rachel and will likely be talking to Henri DuValliere before we make a decision to go look at it." replied Roger.

Freya looked at him steadily and asked, "Am I goin' wi' ye?"

He smiled at his growing ever larger companion and replied, "I will be taking you with me to see the plane. However, if we buy the plane and get it flyable again, you will not be going with me on that flight. I want you to be clear on that."

Freya looked thoughtful and replied, "Will flyin' it back haem be dangerous? Is that why ye don't want tae take me oan that flight?"

Roger smiled at his youthful charge and said gently, "Yes, it will likely be dangerous and if we have a major problem and go down, I don't want you to be involved in any accidents. Henri and I are both experienced pilots, we know what we're getting ourselves into."

"But yoo'll take me tae go see th' plane?" she asked with a hopeful expression on her pretty face.

"Yep, I 'll take you to go see the plane and a couple of other places while we're there." Replied Roger with his trademark grin.

The next morning after getting back from dropping Freya off at school, Roger made a phone call. "Henri!" he said cheerfully, "I hear you may have gotten a letter about a plane, one down in Brazil."

Henri chuckled and replied ,"You mean ze one about ze Martin Mariner missing ze engines?"

"That would be the one, yes." replied Roger.

"'Ave you priced zose engines lately?" asked Henri.

"No, but I'm sure it will be painful." said Roger, "You wouldn't happen to know of any laying about unwanted?"

Henri laughed and replied, "Don't I wish. I'd sell zem to you and make a handsome profit, no?"

"Of course you would and I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't try." replied Roger with a chuckle.

Roger turned serious and asked, "Are you available to go look at this offer? We could use an amphibious aircraft."

"What's in it for me?" asked Henri.

"You will be paid your usual outrageous consulting fee for one. I'll be bringing Freya along so you can practice your Gallic charm on her. Mind you, she doesn't like smelly cigarettes. So leave your Gauloises Caporal 'French Women' at home."

Henri laughed and retorted, "But ze smell keeps away ze mosquitoes, does it not?"

"There is that." commented Roger.

"Are you interested?" Roger asked.

After a pause Henri replied, "Certainly! I could use a small vacation in Latin America."

Roger called Rachel next, she must have been anticipating his call because she picked it up almost immediately, "Have you talked to Henri yet? Is he interested?"

"Well, hello to you too Rachel." replied Roger with a laugh, "Yes, I spoke with him and yes, he's interested."

Rachel laughed and said, "Sorry, this offer is kind of outside my usual area of expertise. I'm relying on you two to know what to look for. This is a pretty big cash outlay, a quarter million bucks would buy a lot of storage space."

"Let's not forget additional expenses, those kind of engines go for about fifty grand and tend to be old. We need to allow for an extra hundred grand on top of the purchase price just to get it back home again." said Roger.

Rachel whistled and muttered, "I better put on my big girl clothes and start hitting up our big donors then."

Roger chuckled and said, "I'll start getting my act together and get myself and Freya all shot up for the trip..."

"You're taking Freya?" gasped Rachel in alarm.

"Of course, this is just to go look at the plane, not to fly it back. We'll be using the usual airlines for the trip." Replied Roger soothingly.

Rachel growled, "Don't scare me like that, I thought you were going to take her along on the flight back with the airplane!"

Roger laughed and replied, "I've already had to explain to her that she is not going with me to bring the plane back, I'm not that crazy. I'll send her up to her folks when we do the retrieval."

Rachel chuckled and remarked, "Well, I guess there's hope for you yet! Let me know how things are going and I'll respond to this letter."

"Cool, I'll keep you posted." replied Roger as he set down the phone.

When their names were called, Roger and Freya rose and followed the nurse into the doctor's offices.

Like so many nurses these days, she was a tiny Filipina about five feet tall and quite professional in her demeanor.

She showed them into an examination room and politely asked them to wait.

Freya sat quietly looking around at the various posters and charts on the exam room walls, in her hand was her shot records.

A soft rapping sounded and the doctor entered the room, she smiled at them and said, "Good afternoon!"

She glanced at the paperwork and asked, "Taking a vacation?"

Roger smiled back and replied, "It's a little bit of vacation and business all mixed together. We need to get our shots for the trip. Tropical bugs and all."

The doctor looked over their trip itinerary and commented, "Pretty much the usual vaccine cocktail here, malaria, dengue fever... The usual suspects."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "In all the hospitals and in all the examination rooms, I had to run into a Casablanca fan."

"Guilty as charged!" laughed the doctor, "I'll be right back!" and she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later, she came back in bearing a tray with several hypodermic syringes laid out in it.

Roger smiled grimly as she quickly administered his vaccines then picked up his shot records to update it.

After a few moments, she added the latest round of shots to the record with the comment, "You may have to get a new shot booklet, this one's almost filled up!"

Next, she turned her attention to Freya, taking up her shot record she briefly perused it and commented, "You didn't get any of the childhood vaccinations until recently...Hmmm..."

The doctor looked at Freya sharply and said in surprise, "You're almost eleven years old? I'dve sworn you were older from your size."

She smiled at her and said, "Please take off your shirt."

When Freya complied, the doctor's eyes widened and she blurted out, "Well, I'll be...You're a girl and such a tall one."

She glanced over at Roger and asked, "Has she had her thyroid checked? Her growth is highly unusual."

Roger smiled at the doctor and replied, "Her regular physician has gone through all of that already. We're just here to get the shots so she can go to Brazil."

The doctor smiled at him and replied, "I didn't mean to pry, it's just that I've not seen a nearly eleven year old girl standing six foot six before."

"It's not a problem doctor, you were just curious that's all."

"True that!" she replied and she quickly went through the shot regimen for Freya's shot records.

When she finished marking Freya's shot records she remarked, "I envy you, my husband is Brazilian and we go there every year for our vacation. The beaches are incredible and the girls wear such tiny swimsuits!"

Roger chuckled and commented, "Freya burns so easily I doubt she'll be wearing any 'tiny swimsuits', more like a bodysuit."

The doctor looked at Freya's pale skin and said to her, "Yes, you do have more of a Norse goddess look to you with your complexion and hair color."

Freya merely shrugged, she'd pretty much given up arguing that she was not of Norse descent, even though her people were from the northern lands.

People pretty much assumed that she was of Swedish or Danish descent because of her height, later on when she exceeded even those height averages she would talk about her true heritage.

For now, being thought of as Norse was simply easier, her friends knew the truth and she was content with that.

Freya stood and put her shirt back on, she smiled at the doctor and said pleasantly, "Thenk ye kindly fur seein' us today."

The doctor on shift smiled at her and replied, "You're welcome dear, enjoy your trip."

During the drive home, Freya absentmindedly rubbed her arm where she had gotten stuck and commented, "Is it s'posed tae itch?"

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Yeah, I'm afraid so, if it's any comfort to you, I'm itching too."

They stopped at a surfboard/water ski shop and looked at full length bodysuits for Freya, but only found wetsuits for the chilly Pacific waters.

Leaving the shop empty handed, Roger said to Freya, "Don't worry, we'll find you a suitable swimsuit for the Brazilian sun."

Freya smiled at him and asked, "Where would ye go tae find such a swimsuit?"

Roger laughed and replied cheerfully, "First, we'll consult the oracle of Google, then we'll go from there!"

"Tis a wonder, that Google." remarked Freya.

"Aye, that it is dear." replied Roger.

A few days later they entered the tiny shop, the proprietress looked up from her sewing machine and smiled at them before saying, "Be right with you! Just finishing up a seam here."

"Take your time we're in no hurry!" replied Roger over the whirring and clicking sound emanating from her sewing machine.

Finishing up the seam, she set the work aside and came out from behind her work table.

Extending her hand in greeting, "Emma Granger, pleased to meet you." she shook hands with the two of them, pausing only a moment to look Freya up and down before saying, "You must be Freya, the Wharton's have mentioned you might be coming to me."

She smiled at Freya and said, "Stand over here so I can get a better look at you, and take off that ridiculous shirt!"

Freya hastily complied as she was guided over to a well lit spot in the shop. Emma slowly walked around Freya mumbling to herself all the while.

Freya looked down at the eccentrically dressed woman as she stared critically at her, suddenly she barked, "Look straight ahead! Looking down throws everything off, don't you know?"

Freya obediently straightened up again and glared at Roger's grin. Emma Granger was a legend among costumers as the one to go to for the impossible costumes.

Emma pulled out a measuring tape and began measuring Freya top to bottom as far as she could reach, then she directed Freya to sit on a stool while she finished with the tape.

Taking up a clip board, Emma jotted down all the measurements she had taken and finally looked up at Freya and said, "So you want me to make a..."

Roger cleared his throat and said as he handed her a photo, "A modified Burkini like this one."

Emma took the photo and gazed at it for a few moments.

Emma looked up at him and said evenly, "I can copy this easily enough, but I don't like copying another's design, it's respect thing."

Roger smiled at her and said, "And I respect that. My thought was to make it less modest by shortening the legs to above the knee and the sleeves to above the elbow for easier swimming."

"And the point of all this is?..."

"Freya burns like right now, we can slather her with SPF 75 baby lotion, but having a special swimsuit would make things easier." replied Roger.

"When do you need it?" asked Emma.

"We leave in three weeks for Brazil."

Emma looked thoughtful then replied, "Bring her here tomorrow evening, and we'll get started."

"Okay, what time?"

"7 P.M. Sharp!"

"Sharp it is!" replied Roger with a boyish grin.

They arrived at precisely 6:55 P.M. Just to make to make sure they would be on time when they entered the shop.

Emma looked up from her sewing machine, smiled at them and said, "You're a mite early, have a seat, there's tea and biscuits if you'd like some."

A few minutes later, Emma finished her sewing and after snipping the thread, came out from behind her work table.

She held up what was essentially a long sleeved unitard and said, "This is not the final product, I just want to see it on her so I can make any adjustments needed."

Handing it to Freya she said, "Put this on and we'll see how it fits."

Freya stepped into the dressing room and closed the door, then Emma said to Roger, "How much taller will she be getting if I may ask?"

Roger smiled and replied, "We figure she'll hit at least nine feet tall. Her people are quite large, much larger than us 'wee fowk' as her mom puts it."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Emma smiled and replied, "So she really is a Jotun?"

When Roger nodded a 'yes' she grinned and remarked, "So she'll be needing new clothing as she gets much larger won't she?"

"I'm afraid so." replied Roger.

"Give me a call then, I'd be happy to make her clothing for her." said Emma.

The door opened and Freya dressed in the skin tight garment stepped out. Roger nearly did a double take as he suddenly realized just how beautiful Freya was going to become.

The modified zip front unitard clung to her like a second skin and was in a way, even more attractive than a skimpy swimsuit in that it emphasized her budding figure, while concealing it, all at the same time.

Freya smiled shyly at them and Emma said with a grin, "Sometimes I even outdo myself...Is this what you had in mind?" she said while looking at Roger.

Roger said softly, "This is pretty much it. Won't this fabric get kind of sheer when it gets wet?"

"This fabric will, I have a more modest fabric if you wish."

"I do wish. Freya's only eleven years old and I don't need pictures of her in a virtually transparent swimsuit popping up on the internet." Remarked Roger.

Emma chuckled and replied, "Yes, that wouldn't be very age appropriate."

She held up a bolt of a brilliant blue fabric and said, "How about this, it matches her eyes?" "That, I like." commented Roger with a grin.

Emma smiled and asked, "One last question, then I'll be throwing you two out. Do you want me to make it a little big so she won't outgrow it in a few months?"

Roger smiled and replied, "She'll outgrow it in a few weeks."

Freya waved her hand and asked shyly, "Can ye put a wee bit o'cloth down here?" as she pointed between her long legs.

Emma smiled at her and said cheerfully, "Don't worry, the finished suit won't have 'cameltoe issues', I just wanted to see how it would look on you. The modesty panel will be in the final product."

The email with attachments arrived the next day, in it were photos of the Martin Mariner as it sat in storage at a place called Base Aerea de Santos next to the Estuario de Santos to the southeast of Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The bulky airplane rested on a wooden frame work with the cabin windows all covered up by a faded and torn tarp.

In the pictures, Roger could see the frame work had wheels on it. Meaning, it could be used to move the heavy plane if needs be.

He was reaching for the phone when it rang suddenly, the screen showed Henri's phone number.

He quickly answered it "Henri! I was just about to call you, I'm guessing you've seen the pictures too?"

"Yes, I 'ave, ze plane looks better zan I 'ad imagined."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "I thought so too, I had half expected it to be sitting half submerged in the estuary when I learned where it actually was."

"Any word on ze engines?" asked Henri

"I've found a couple of rebuilt engines in Texas, they're about 40 grand each. The tricky part is getting them down to Brazil."

"Not a problem my friend, I know someone who works for Air France and owes me a favor." chuckled Henri.

Roger grinned and replied, "Of course you do...I'll send you the address in an email. We won't be serious about buying them until we've looked the old bird over very critically."

Henri laughed and replied, "If only we looked at ze beautiful women like we looked at ze airplanes, eh?"

Roger grinned and replied, "Everything has its problems my friend, some are easier to fix."

A week later they left for Sao Paulo, Brazil. The house was being cared for by a reputable house sitter who came highly recommended and vouched for.

The first leg of the flight was to Mexico City where they would transfer to a TAM airlines flight non stop to Sao Paulo.

They were to meet up with Rachel who was handling the money end of the transaction and fly with her to Sao Paulo, where Henri would join them for the final leg to the Estuario de Santos.

Freya attracted the usual level of attention and merely ignored the sidelong glances from her fellow passengers as she tried to make herself comfortable in the slightly too small seat.

One fellow showed a little too much interest in her, until Roger shot him a glare that made him stop in fear of his life.

The landing in Mexico City's vast airport left Freya a bit overwhelmed by the sheer crush of humanity as they hustled from one terminal to another, at one point she stopped and wailed,"What aboot me luggage? Ah left it oan th' other plane!"

Roger grabbed her hand and said firmly, "It's being transferred by the ground crews, we've got to hurry, they're boarding as we speak!"

He pulled her along and she quickly learned how to slip through a crowd like Roger could, to her it became a matter of reading the crowd movements, predicting when an opening would occur and being there to take advantage of it.

They met up with a slightly frazzled looking Rachel at the boarding gate with only minutes to spare before boarding the plane.

Their seats were all on the same row and they switched places with each other so Freya could stretch out her long legs into the aisle once the plane was aloft.

Rachel grinned at Freya and asked, "So how did you like your first big airport experience?"

Freya shuddered and said weakly, "Ah hated it, sae mony people! Ah ne'er been aroond sae mony people afore, Ah had nae idea sae mony people lived in thes warld!"

Rachel smiled at her and replied, "If it's any comfort to you...I hate it too. Mexico City has one of the world's busiest airports and it's always crazy. Be thankful you don't have to do this as much as I do."

Freya smiled at her and asked, "Will Ah have tae do thes comin' back?"

Rachel smiled sympathetically and replied "I'm afraid so dear, you won't be alone you know, Roger will be right alongside you the whole way."

Freya made a face and muttered, "Then Ah can bear it if he is with me."

Roger simply squeezed her hand, which had been clasping his during the whole boarding and taking off phase of the flight. She smiled shyly at him and squeezed his hand back.

The flight path took them over southern Mexico and a whole slew of small Central American countries.

Roger enjoyed pointing out to Freya some of the features below them including the Panama Canal and its great reservoir lake Gatun Lake.

Leaving Central America behind, they flew over the ocean for a time then crossed over the coast of South America, the great southern continent.

Far below them lay the largest jungle in the world, wild, free and still largely unexplored.

Rachel had switched seats with Freya so she could look at the view for a little while and after a time, Freya commented, "Tis naethin' but green doon below."

Roger stood and glanced over her shoulder before commenting, "We're flying over the Amazon river basin, it's one of the largest rivers in the world and this whole region feeds it. You'll be seeing a lot more of this for a while until we get further south. You might as well relax."

Freya nodded in agreement and she traded places with Rachel once again so she could stretch out her long legs.

Hours later, the slowing of the jet airliner and the sinking feeling from descending woke the three of them from their naps. Roger straightened up his eat and automatically buckled in ahead of the cabin warning light advisement to do so.

As she straightened her seat and buckled in Rachel glanced out the window and remarked, "Sao Paulo here we come!"

Roger took Freya's hand in hers and held it all the way down until the huge jet eased to a halt at the terminal and shut off its engines.

Exiting the plane, they retrieved their luggage and went through the gauntlet of the bored customs agents.

Freya attracted their attention because of her height, with one agent squinting at her Canadian passport and muttering about her age not being consistent with her height.

Having passed muster at customs, they ventured into the maw of Aeroporto Internacional de Sao Paulo-Guarhlos.

While it wasn't as crazy as Mexico City, it was not much better and they fell in behind Rachel, who seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to large airports.

Passing through the door to the outside waiting area, the scent of Gauloise Caporal cigarettes assailed their noses and there sat Henri DuValliere in all his rumpled, Gallic glory, a cloud of noxious vapor hovering over him.

Nearby sat his indescribably beautiful wife Miriam, seemingly impervious to the smoke as it was nowhere near her, in fact it, seemed to avoid her.

Roger grinned at his old friend and remarked, "I'm surprised the fire department isn't here yet!"

Blowing an impressive smoke ring, Henri grinned back and retorted, "You try beingk cooped up in all zat clean air for ten houers, my lungs, zhey cried for ze cigaret!"

The two men greeted each other with manly hugs and enthusiastic backslapping while Rachel and Miriam gently hugged each other.

Rachel introduced Freya to Miriam by saying, "This is Freya, she is living with Roger and is a Jotun girl he met up in Canada."

Miriam smiled at Freya and as they shook hands she said softly, "He is a good man, you have made a good choice."

Freya blushed, looked down and stammered, "We..We're...We're nae loch 'at an' Ahm naught but eleven summers auld or soon tae be,"

Miriam smiled at the embarrassed girl and said in a near whisper, "In time, you will be as one and it will be a joyous union."

Roger seeing Freya's embarrassment, came to her rescue, "What are you two ladies doing to her? She's beet red!"

Miriam smiled at him and replied in her silken voice and indefinable accent,"I was merely saying that she had made a choice when she chose you to be with."

Henri guffawed while Roger looked down, closed his eyes and grasped the bridge of his nose while muttering, "You and Ayesha're gonna be the death of me."

Miriam chuckled softly and said, "I see she and I are still in agreement with our forecastings of the heart." before gliding away to take a seat by her things.

Henri smiled at Freya and said, "Miriam, she means no harm, do not mind 'er prophesying." He looked her up and down and said half to himself, "You have grown so much since I saw you last."

He glanced at Roger and asked, "'Ow do you find ze clothes to fit 'er?"

Roger rolled his eyes and replied, "Freya is not THAT large, we buy her clothes off the rack much like everyone it a year or so, then we'll be looking at custom made clothing, which we already have covered."

A tall, well tanned man wearing a short sleeved white linen shirt and khaki trousers approached them, "Hello, my name is Hector Contreras, are you from the Museum of Cryptozoology?"

Rachel smiled at him and replied, "Yes we are from the Museum, I am Rachel Thompson and these are my associates, Roger Tate and Henri DuValliere. The ladies are Freya Sigurdsdottir and Miriam DuValliere, Henri's wife."

Hector smiled and replied, "It is a pleasure to meet you all!" as he shook hands with all concerned.

Still smiling he said, "I have a van and driver waiting outside, if you care to follow me, we can get going."

The van was more like a small bus, the luggage was quickly stowed in the back and they climbed aboard and buckled in.

Within minutes of leaving the airport, Roger was convinced the driver was insane as he deftly maneuvered the bus through the highway traffic without either letting off the gas, using the brakes or sparing the horn.

Before long, Sao Paulo was far behind them and the way to Base Aerea de Santos was clear.

Freya sat quietly looking out the window, taking everything in, being from the northlands, she had little idea of what to expect during their journey and said softly, "I cannae see ony jungle here, it's sae crowded alang here."

Hector smiled at her and replied, "The true Amazonian jungle is further north of here, we will be passing through areas where the jungle still exists, but those are slowly disappearing as the cities expand. Perhaps we can arrange for you to see some real jungle while you are down here?"

Freya smiled at him in genuine pleasure and said , "Yes, I would like that verra much!"

Hector glanced over at Roger and asked, "Would you like for me to arrange a visit to the jungle or a beach trip for her? While you are inspecting the plane?"

Roger smiled at him and replied, "That would be greatly appreciated, thanks!"

Hours later, they pulled up outside a modest hotel building near their destination and Hector announced, "This is where you will be staying during your visit. I realize it is not exactly a five star hotel, but like all museums, we have to stay within our budgets, do we not?"

Rachel merely shrugged and replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Yes, we do have to set an example, while our donors enjoy the five star hotel lifestyle."

Hector smiled and replied, "I am glad to see we think alike."

Exiting the van, they all stretched a little bit while Hector pointed across the wide estuary and said, "The air facility is across the estuary from here, you can see the Martin Mariner from here actually."

Roger shaded his eyes and squinted, a few moments later he remarked, "I think I see it in the shadow of the hangar."

Henri muttered, "I see 'er too...When do we get to see 'er up close and personal?"

He looked over at Hector who replied, "We shall go see it in the morning. Tonight, let us get our rooms and while you get some sleep from your long journey. I shall be making arrangements for Miss Freya and Miriam to see some of Brazil's famous beaches and jungles."

Roger shrugged and remarked, "Lead on, Mac Duff!" as he picked up his suitcase handle.

They entered the hotel and found that a small bloc of rooms had been reserved and prepared for their party.

Roger and Freya shared a room with two beds while Rachel had a single room, as did Hector Contreras while Henri and Miriam obviously had a room of their own.

Having settled in, Roger and Freya took showers then went down stairs to the restaurant and had a light dinner as neither one them was very hungry, just tired.

Returning to their room, Freya modeled the swimsuit Emma had made for her, as was promised, it accentuated her budding figure and remained modest while protecting her fair skin.

The buzzing alarm clock woke them both out of a sound sleep.

Roger sat up in his bed and blearily peered at the alarm clock, yep, it was the right time allright.

He looked over at his roommate's bed. Freya was sprawled on her stomach and still sound asleep, he recalled that she was not easy to wake up in the morning and got out of bed to pull the covers off of Freya's long limbed form.

Then he went to take a shower before she woke up.

She grumbled in her sleep but began stirring herself before getting up for the day.

Finally she rolled over and sat up, then she too, peered at the still buzzing alarm clock.

Freya shut it off, mumbled to herself, then got up to go clean up.

The bathroom door opened and a towel clad Roger stepped out with a grin on his face. "There's still plenty of hot water!" he said a little too cheerfully as Freya stepped past him with a mumbled "Guid morrow." on her lips.

Half an hour later, they met up with the rest of the group only to see a new face had been added.

She was the daughter of Hector Contreras, a tall, slender, raven haired beauty named Alicia. Alicia was a college student and had agreed to take Freya and Miriam under her wing and show them around the beaches and jungles in the area.

Today, she was going to take them to the beach and Freya was wearing her new swimsuit under her street clothes while Miriam wore a version of a burkini and sandals.

Alicia was curious about Freya's swimsuit and asked about it, to which Freya replied, "It was made fur me tae protect me from th' sun an' still let me swim."

Alicia smiled and replied, "I have noticed that some people are becoming more concerned about sun exposure, but the young? They love the sun and showing off their bodies!"

After Alicia had driven off with Freya and Miriam in her car.

Hector smiled at them and said, "Shall we go take a look?"

They piled into the bus/van and drove around the estuary 'til they came to the narrow bridge crossing over at a narrow point in the estuary.

A short time later they stood gazing up at the massive bulk of the Martin Mariner PBM-5.

Roger whistled softly and said, "It's bigger than I thought it would be. I've seen PBY's and Grumman Albatrosses, but this bird is way bigger!"

"How is it bigger?" asked Rachel "I'm not familiar with this sort of plane."

"It's in the fuselage mostly, the wings are about as long as a PBY's, but the fuselage is bigger and deeper, once we can look inside, you'll see the bunks they had for the crew and a small galley to heat food in, all pretty deluxe actually." replied Roger.

Henri commented, "It appears zat zhey took ze engines off with ze intention of putting zhem back again. All ze brackets and mounts are still here."

He grinned and asked, "Is it possible zat ze engines might still be nearby? Maybe in a storage building?"

Hector shrugged and remarked, "We can look around here, if you like. It's quite possible that the engines are sitting in a shed nearby. Some of this stuff was already here when we got the facility donated to us, including this airplane."

Hector pulled out of his pocket, an impressive array of keys and a small keyfob with only a couple of keys on it, they were the keys to the Martin Mariner.

He handed them to Roger and said cheerfully, "Take a look inside!"

Roger wasted little time in fitting the key to the lock and with a silent prayer, twisted the door lever.

The door hesitated a few moments, as the weatherstripping inside stubbornly clung to the door.

It reluctantly yielded to Roger's firm insistence and with a dry creak and a tearing sound, the door swung open, leaving tiny bits of dried weatherstripping still clinging to the now open door frame, they were in!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Roger stood for a few moments, simply looking around inside the aircraft before climbing into it. He beckoned to the others and they soon joined him on the wooden platform peering into the plane's interior.

Rachel quietly remarked, "This thing's pretty deluxe for a military plane, it's really more like a flying motorhome than a warbird."

"If you overlook all the guns this thing had!" remarked Roger with a grin.

Climbing inside, they clambered all through the roomy interior making notes of the overall condition of the airframe and the control wires they could see.

Henri muttered, "So far, all looks well wizout lookingk too hard at ze plane."

"Kinda my impression too." remarked Roger, "We'll have to look inside the wings and check the spars for corrosion. Then check all the hydraulic lines and electrical harnesses."

He looked over at Hector and declared, "We'll need to give this a pretty thorough going over, it should take us about a week."

Hector smiled and replied, "Take all the time you need. I'm sure my daughter can keep your ladies occupied, there is lots to see here."

Roger grinned and remarked, "Freya will have quite the travel report to share with her class at school. It was her teacher's condition for letting her miss school for a week."

Rachel hearing this, chuckled and said, "No wonder she seems so subdued about being here, she has to write a report on her adventures."

Roger smiled and said, "She always gets a little quiet when she is experiencing lots of new things."

It was Rachel who noticed the long, green painted wooden boxes stashed under the bunks in the central cabin.

Roger whistled and commented, ".50 caliber machine guns, I wonder if these are included in the sale?"

Hector replied without hesitation, "Yes, everything you see in here is included and whatever we may find associated with this plane. It all has to go."

Roger merely shrugged but said nothing more about the boxes.

Climbing up into the cockpit, the two men were relieved to see that all the instruments were undamaged and the controls appeared intact.

The windows would need a bit of cleaning and one panel was sun crazed and would need replacement.

The tarp draped over the cockpit had helped protect the interior, it was plain that someone had planned to restore the plane but had run short of funds.

Leaving the plane, they scrounged up a couple of ladders and soon Roger and Henri were standing atop the plane, slowly walking back and forth, looking it over.

Henri grinned at his old friend and remarked, "Zis reminds me of when we got my old Antonov out of the Ukraine, no?"

Roger laughed and replied, "Except then we were kind of in a hurry, the Georgians were almost within artillery range and we had to be a little tolerant about the plane's condition." Henri grew somber and muttered, "Zat plane, she was good to me."

He turned and spat, "I curse ze names of ze barbarians who stole her from me in ze name of zehr god." and he spat again.

Roger turned and spat too in soldidarity with Henri before saying, "You can take small comfort in knowing that those same 'barbarians' were later shot down in that Antonov, killing all aboard."

"Zhere is zat." muttered Henri, "Alzhough, I would have preferred to 'ave my beloved Antonia and zhey were shot down in anozher plane, no?" He finished with a grin.

Roger simply smiled and replied, "I can appreciate your sentiments there my friend."

They took a meal break at a nearby restaurant and while Hector was away talking to his daughter on the phone, Rachel leaned close to Roger and asked, "So what do you think is in those green boxes I found?"

Roger shrugged and replied, "Without opening them, I can't be sure but those boxes were marked "Machine Gun, .50 caliber 1 Each" this plane was armed with eight of them and if those crates do have machine guns in them, it could make things a bit ticklish back home."

He grinned and remarked, "We could sell or trade those off to a weapons museum or serious collectors for some real cash. Those guns are typically worth about 50 grand and selling eight of them would cover the cost of refurbishing the plane, hell if we remove and sell the turrets that could just about make the whole thing a real bargain."

Rachel smiled slightly and asked, "So your intent is to demilitarize it?"

"Yep, we don't need armament and lightening the plane would allow auxiliary fuel tanks to be made and installed for long flights. Probably wouldn't hurt the fuel consumption either." remarked Roger.

Hector returned and was all smiles as he reported that Freya and Miriam were enjoying the world famous Brazilian beaches and Freya had met a local phenomenon named Eliza who stood almost 206 centimeters tall and was only fourteen years old.

He held up his phone with a photo of Freya standing next to a towering, slender beauty who smiled shyly at the camera.

Hector remarked, "Eliza is a bit of a local celebrity because of her great height, I'm sure your Freya did not expect to meet a girl taller than herself."

Roger smiled and replied, "Freya is still growing and we figure on her reaching nearly 244 centimeters by the time she is fourteen and topping out at around 275 centimeters, or nine feet tall as we measure it in the States."

Hector looked at Roger skeptically and asked, "How can you predict she will get to be so tall, will she still be able to even walk at that height?"

Roger held up an index finger and said, "Give me a moment." he took up his smartphone and scrolled through it for a few moments until he stopped and with a smile, showed the photo to an unbelieving Hector Contreras.

Hector stared at the photo for a few moments and asked, "Where is this, and who are these people?"

Roger smiled and replied, "This is up in Canada and these people are Jotuns or Norse frost giants from the Norse myths. It turned out they are real and fled northern Europe for friendlier neighbors. Freya is my sort of foster child while she lives with me. We are interested in the plane because it can be modified to allow her to stand up inside it when she is fully grown."

Hector muttered, "And with it being amphibious, you could land it anywhere in Canada. Very clever."

He grinned at Roger and rubbed his hands together briskly, "Well then, shall we get back to the plane?"

A quick stop at a hardware store to get some flashlights and a short drive back to the air base later, they took the flashlights and were once again, peering into the darkened recesses of the bulky Martin Mariner PBM-5.

A battery charger was brought out and hooked up to the plane's electrical system, set at 24 volts, the system lights came on and the various gauge needles quivered, it was seen as a good sign.

The auxiliary hydraulic pump motor made working noises and Roger made a note to get some hydraulic fluid into the system ASAP.

Henri carefully examined the tires and declared them unfit, as they were likely over twenty years old and he would not attempt to fly with such old tires.

They were still at it when Alicia's car pulled up and the ladies got out.

Freya looked up at the bulky aircraft and remarked in wonder, "Tis sae big an' it can lan' oan water?"

"Yep, it's the main reason why we're looking at it." Roger said as he grinned at his towering companion, "Go on inside and take a look around!"

She smiled at him and nimbly climbed into the big seaplane.

Hector shook his head and said softly, "It's hard to believe she's only eleven years old." Roger smiled and remarked, "I've lost count of how many times I've had to explain why she is so tall, and as she gets really tall, she will be attracting all kinds of attention. Good, bad, and indifferent."

"I don't envy you my friend." replied Hector in sympathy.

Roger could only shrug in reply and say, "Its not bad, Freya's a pretty good kid and I really can't complain."

It was getting dark when Hector declared, "I think we've done all we can for today as far as inspecting this aircraft."

Roger and Henri nodded in agreement, they both had taken literally hundreds of photographs and jotted down many pertinent notes about what they had seen.

Hector made a quick phone call and shortly afterwards, a van pulled up and a uniformed driver got out.

He opened the passenger side doors and stood smiling.

Hector smiled at them and said, "Raul here will drive you back to your hotel, while my daughter will drive me home."

Henri held up his hand a moment and Hector asked, "You have a question?"

"Will we be looking inside ze storage sheds for any additional items associated wiz zis plane?" Asked Henri.

Roger chimed in with, "Yes, will we be able to look for the engines? They just might be sitting in storage and somehow got missed."

Hector smiled and replied, "We will be returning here tomorrow morning and yes, we can look inside the storage sheds."

The drive back to their rooms was quiet as both Freya and Miriam were tired from their beach excursion and sat lost in thought.

They thanked Raul for driving them home and wished him a good night, then entered the hotel. The restaurant was not too busy and they stopped and ate a light dinner.

While they ate Rachel asked, "You guys climbed all over that thing, tell me. What do you really think?"

Henri sat for a moment before he said,, "Ze price is almost too good to be true and ze plane is in better condition zhan I expected."

He glanced around briefly and said in a lowered voice, "It's almost as if zhey want to be rid of it, that it is more trouble zhan it is worth."

Rachel looked over at Roger and with one raised eyebrow asked, "Rodge?"

Roger dabbed at his lips with the napkin, took a sip of his coffee and replied," I have to agree with Henri here, it was regularly maintained right up 'til it was retired. I want to see if the engines are around and in serviceable condition, if so, it might be easier to simply fly it back, rather than trying to ship it."

Roger smiled and said, "Tomorrow, I'm going to sneak a peek inside those green boxes you saw Rachel. While I don't seriously expect to find inside what it says on the box, if they do have what they say on label inside. Those could be sold or traded for a whole bunch of things, like a set of tires and or converting the engines to fuel injection."

"Why fuel injection?" asked Rachel.

"Two words," replied Roger, "Fuel consumption. Less fuel consumption means more savings and a longer range between stops."

Looking thoughtful Rachel asked, "If we find the engines, what next?"

Roger answered, "We check to see if they're serviceable, if they can be used, I guess we can borrow some tools and put the engines back on. If we can't borrow any tools, Henri and I will have to go back home and get our own tools. Of course if we have to go that far, we'll enlist some help and get things done that much quicker."

Roger had mixed feelings as he watched Alicia Contreras drive off with Freya and Henri's wife Miriam on their way to see some of Brazil's famous jungle.

He climbed into the van with Rachel and Henri, closed the sliding door and buckled in. Hector Contreras drove them to the air base and the waiting Martin Mariner PBM-5.

Shortly after they arrived, Rachel engaged Hector in conversation while Roger slipped into the plane and soon, he was hunkered down next of one of the long crates preparing to open it.

The crate opened up with creaking hinges, which to Roger's point of view, sounded like all the world could hear him opening up a crate on the sly.

There, laying in its wooden bed, was a heavily cosmolined Browning M2 machine gun caliber .50 with spare barrel.

He ran a quick mental calculation and realized that if the rest of the crates held the same thing, he was looking at the price of a spare set of engines, plus tires and fuel injection modifications.

Closing the lid, he resealed the crate and went back outside to find Henri.

Not seeing Henri nearby, Roger noticed the open doors on a nearby storage building and soon found the three of them staring at a couple of large round containers painted in olive drab.

Joining them, Roger asked, "Have you opened them yet?"

Henri grinned at his long time friend and replied, "We were waiting for you to join us!" Hector smiled at Roger and said cheerfully, "It seems our original letter was incorrect, the engines are here, they're just not attached to the plane in question!"

Roger glanced around and noticed two large, four bladed propellers leaning against the wall. He grinned and remarked, "I see the props are here too."

He air quoted "For Sale: Slightly used Martin Mariner PBM-5...Some assembly required."

Roger looked at the others and simply said, "Does all this seem almost too good to be true? I had the impression that this thing was lying in some jungle swamp somewhere, instead what I'm seeing is a halted restoration project with all the main components ready for assembly. I can't help being a little hinky here, it's just too convenient."

Rachel looked steadily at Hector and said frankly, "Roger has a point, it does seems a little too easy, not that we're complaining mind you, it just seems that there is more to the story."

Hector smiled sadly and said quietly, "The plane did belong to the Brazilian Air Forces and it was maintained by them up until just before it was moved here. It seems that the head of a drug cartel is interested in acquiring it and I don't want to see it in the wrong hands. That is why the original letter says the engines are missing, it was to throw them off the trail a bit."

He smiled at them and said, "I want you to have it, the Brazilian Air Forces want you to have it as well. I've heard about your work and this plane will be a big help to your work, will it not?"

Henri smiled and replied, "If ze air forces want us to 'ave ze plane, why not just give it to us?"

Hector chuckled and replied, "We have to make it look like a legitimate sale to a fellow museum. Our local politicians are taking bribe money from the cartel like so many other officials have done. I f the plane is already sold and gone out of the country, then it will be a fait accompli and regarded as such."

Rachel asked quietly, "How much time will we have to do this?"

"Three to four weeks at the most, I'm afraid." replied Hector.

Roger whistled and commented , "Damn, that doesn't give us much wiggle room for error. If we can get some help and the right tools we can do it, provided we're not interrupted and assuming that everything's in order.."

He looked at Rachel and said glumly, "I'm gonna have to ask you to take Freya home to her people, that way if something bad happens, she's home safe."

"She's not going to like it." remarked Rachel.

"I don't care if she likes it! This is not a decision I'm making lightly, I want her to be safe, not scattered all over some jungle somewhere." he shot back brusquely.

Henri smiled and also said quietly, "I am afraid, I will be asking you to to do ze same for me. Miriam knows ze dangers involved and she will understand."

Hector said quietly, "I would suggest you leave as soon as possible without saying anything to anyone and we can arrange for their luggage to follow later on." he took out his phone and called his daughter.

A few moments later he said simply "When you are finished showing them our jungle paradise, please take them to the dinner party at the museum."

He paused a moment to listen and replied, "Oh, don't worry about their changing, it's not a formal affair. You have the invitations."

Hector ended the call and said cheerfully, "Everything's now in motion. Alicia will now take them to the airport and put them on the first plane back to the states, she has their tickets and boarding passes. With no luggage, they'll simply board the plane and go. We'll ship the luggage to them later."

Rachel commented, "Now about the sale? Yes, it's a deal, we'll work out the money details later and you need to get me to the airport ASAP!"

Hector grinned and remarked with a wink, "Congratulations, you now own a Martin Mariner...Some assembly required!"

He turned to Roger and Henri to say, "I can get you help, I have some volunteers at the aereo museo who want to see this plane go to a good home as badly as I do. Tools are in the maintenance shop, will that be enough?"

Henri grinned and said, "Yes, zhat will be fine, zhat and a little good French wine?"

Hector smiled and handed over a large key ring, "These are the keys to every door here, what you do with them is your business."

There was a brief flurry of handshakes and heartfelt hugs from Rachel and soon, they watched Hector's museum van disappear over the hill above the airstrip.

Roger felt a pang of regret at his decision to send Freya home without so much as a hug or an explanation like he did, but he knew it was a sound decision...He'd beg forgiveness later.

Hefting the key ring, Henri grinned and said, "Let us go exploring ze facility!"

The next couple of hours were spent opening doors and getting an idea of where the things they'd need were.

Roger started up the forklift and drove it around a little bit, playing with the controls to get a feel for it.

Henri grinned when he found the special socket adaptor that went over the end of the crankshaft for removing and installing the engines and Roger commented, "We will be taking that back with us as part of the deal."

Henri smiled and said, "I think we can use zhis to see if ze engines will turn over."

Roger grinned and said, "We've got nothing else better to do tonight, let's test your hypothesis!"

They returned to the shed and unsealed the engine containers, lifting the top off the first one let out the cloying scent of preservatives and they set the top to one side to admire the engine.

There in its cradle, sat a Wright-Cyclone 14 cylinder radial aircraft engine awaiting installation.

Roger grinned at Henri and commented, "This is better than Christmas!"

Henri grinned back and placed the socket tool over the splined end of the crankshaft.

Roger grinned as he and Henri took hold of the adaptor and heaved.

There was a moment of hesitation, then the engine slowly turned over as the two of them grunted in their exertions.

It was quite the effort to turn over the engine with just the two of them and the minimal leverage gained by the socket adaptor.

After a couple of muscle straining complete rotations, Roger stopped heaving and declared, "Well, this one seems to be good!"

Henri grinned and remarked jokingly, "Can we assume zhat ze othair engine is also good?"

Roger laughed and replied, "Believe me, I can appreciate your feelings, but we do need to check the other one out too."

Henri chuckled and retorted, "I was just, as you say, 'testing your resolve'!"

Roger grinned and replied, " Ha, ha...Very funny, Henri."

They repeated their performance with the second engine and had the same results to their great relief.

Replacing the engine covers, they locked up the shed and were heading back to the hangar when Roger's phone rang, it was Freya.

Turning away, Roger answered with an apology, " Honey, I'm truly sorry about sending you off like this, but we have to get you two out of here. The museum told us we only had a few weeks to get the plane out of here and it was implied that a drug lord was interested in this plane."

Freya's voice sounded very small and tinny as she replied, "Rachel explained it tae me oan th' way tae th' airport. Please be verra careful an' I'll be at haem waitin' fur ye."

Roger felt a pang in his heart and said, "I'll be careful and I'll come home as fast as I can, I promise."

He paused a moment and said, "I miss you already, you know that."

"An' I miss ye too!" replied a teary sounding Freya.

"I'll call you again when I can and I'll let you know how we are doing. Oh! Could you tell Rachel that we managed to inspect the engines and they seem to be in good condition?" said Roger in earnest.

"I'll tell 'er the guid news aboot th' engines. Take care of yoorself eh?" replied Freya and she hung up.

Roger looked up at Henri and said, "I had Freya tell Rachel the engines seem to be fine and we'll keep them posted on our progress."

Henri grinned and held up his own phone and remarked, "I just got off ze phone myself."

He shrugged and said quietly, "My wife, she will require some special attention when I get back."

Roger smiled at his long time friend and replied, "Miriam is a very special lady and you really lucked out when you met her."

Henri laughed and retorted, "And you have a young giantess who loves you and she won't always be a child that you can put off because of her youth."

All Roger could do was blush in response and mutter, "Don't remind me, Ayesha and Mia both ganged up on me and said pretty much the same thing to my great embarrassment, and George, the little weasel, agreed with them!"

Henri burst out laughing, much to Roger's annoyance and eventually commented, "They are right you know? Ze girl does love you and only wants you to be happy."

"I thought you were on my side?" grumbled Roger.

Henri grinned again and remarked teasingly, "I am on your side, but zhis... Is too hard to resist!"

Roger shrugged and replied, "Go ahead, have your fun, meanwhile we need to find a place to sleep!"

Shortly after that, they found a room with several beds set up in it, a wall locker had a stack of wool army blankets and they each took a couple to use.

Sleep eluded the two men that first night alone, torn away from their loved ones by a series of odd circumstances.

Roger fretted that he had not adequately explained it to Freya, the necessity of sending her home so abruptly without even a proper goodbye.

To his amazement, Henri slept quite peacefully while he flopped and turned half the night.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next morning, Hector arrived in a van with two other men.

As they exited the van Hector declared, "I've brought you some assistants. These men are volunteers at the museo aereo and know how to work on aircraft!."

After a round of introductions and handshakes. Hector opened a box he'd brought and in it, were breakfasts for all of them and soon they were all eating breakfast and sipping at fresh, hot coffee.

Roger announced, "We checked the engines last night and they do turn over, which is a great relief."

Pedro Tovar grinned and remarked, "They should be perfect, we had them rebuilt before we hid them away."

He smiled and said wistfully,"I was her last pilot before she was retired, I flew her here and landed her."

He gestured to the other man, Eduardo Castillo, "Eduardo here was her chief mechanic. Believe us when we say we know this plane!"

Roger grinned and replied cheerfully, "And I promise to take very good care of your special lady!" as he toasted them with a sip of his coffee.

By lunch time they had inflated the tires and lifted the twenty ton aircraft off of its wooden cradles in preparation to roll it inside the large hangar for the rest of the work. Stopping only to eat when they were all famished, they sat and ate while looking at the large airplane.

Eduardo remarked, "We had planned on upgrading the engines to the bigger Wright Cyclone R 18- 3350's for more power in take offs, but the air force decided to retire this plane instead. We had worked it all out on how were going to do it, but some generale with nothing to do, cancelled our plans and I retired when she retired."

Roger asked, "You say the current engines are a little lacking in power? If you have any notes on your engine swap idea, I'd like them if you don't mind."

Eduardo grinned and said drily, "You are welcome to them, but you'll need a translator!" Roger laughed and replied, "That my friend, will be the easy part, finding the engines will be a little tougher, I'm afraid."

Henri just smiled and said, "Ze engines will not be a problem, we can substitute ze Curtiss-Wright 3350 engines zhat were made in ze 1960's for ze DC-7 zhat can make 3,000 horsepower on takeoff."

He sipped at his fourth cup of coffee and quipped "Power, will not be a problem!"

Eduardo grinned at the rumpled looking Frenchman and replied, "I like you, we think alike!"

Once the bulky Martin Mariner was inside the large hangar, they closed the doors and went to work. While Henri and Eduardo teamed up with the engines, Roger and Pedro teamed up on the avionics.

They spent many hours carefully checking and rechecking the incredible amount of wiring that ran all through the airplane, each connector was pulled apart and checked for corrosion, cleaned if necessary and reassembled

Any places that looked as if the harness had been rubbing, got inspected and lavishly retaped.

When it came time to mount the engines, all four of them teamed up and with the aid of the traveling hoist and the forklift, they eased the one ton engines into place and replaced all the myriad fasteners and connections.

Day after day, the men worked at near feverish levels while Hector Contreras brought them food and drinks.

Personal hygiene was limited to brushing of teeth and a washing of the face, armpits and groin performed in the restroom sinks. It was a primitive life they were leading.

During the seventh day of their isolation, a Brazilian air force truck arrived and delivered a new set of the huge 24 volt batteries and to Henri's delight, a set of brand new tires.

The driver of the truck merely smiled at Eduardo and drove off without saying a word.

Eduardo merely smiled and said quietly, "My boys at the aereo puerto still remember me."

After that, Eduardo and Henri wrestled the new tires into place while Roger and Pedro installed the heavy batteries and turned on the electrical system to check all the lights and related systems.

The starter motors were given a brief run to make sure they worked, and it was very gratifying to see the huge, four bladed propellers rotating.

Grinning like a bunch of happy campers, they all agreed to fill the plane with fuel and oil the next morning.

The intention was to fire the engines up and give them a chance to run in a bit before the flight.

A persistent beeping roused Roger from a sound sleep, he blinked a couple of times, then realized it was the alarm he and Henri had rigged up for 'just in case'.

Slipping out of his bed and pulling on his boots, he roused Henri and the others from their slumber.

Wordlessly, they pulled on their shoes and grabbed up the lengths of steel pipe they had fashioned into crude weapons.

The door to the hangar opened noiselessly and Roger quietly thanked his foresight in oiling up the hinges that had squeaked so much on their arrival.

Dark shapes were moving about in the huge room and were clearly up to no good.

Roger nodded at his companions and they nodded back, there would be no holding back on their unwelcome guests.

Creeping into the hangar, they took up their positions near the visitors and when Pedro flipped on the lights, they attacked.

Roger's adversary fell in a heap after one good hit and he turned to help Henri who was dealing with a knife wielding opponent.

Roger swung his pipe and shattered the man's knife arm just before Henri introduced him to an old form of French martial arts called savate and kicked him senseless.

Henri grinned at Roger and remarked, "Zair was no need, I had heem right whair I wanted heem!"

A shot rang out behind them just as a meaty 'thunk' sounded, whirling about they saw Eduardo standing over the crumpled body of the shooter with his pipe in his meaty hands.

Pedro was sitting down looking pretty dazed with blood staining his shirt just below his collar bone, the shot had struck him and he was feeling pretty lousy.

Roger quickly checked him out and declared, "The bullet is still inside you, I think you'll be okay but we need a doctor ASAP!"

Eduardo turned away and took out his phone, moments later, he was speaking very rapidly and tensely.

When he ended the call, he glanced at them and said grimly, "I notified Hector as to what happened tonight and he's on his way with a doctor friend. I suggest we fuel and oil the plane up tonight and be prepared to take off as soon as possible tomorrow, they'll be back for more."

They made Pedro as comfortable as they could and quickly carried away the bodies of their assailants.

The fuel truck was brought around and they commenced to pumping Avgas 100 fuel into the tanks. Oil was carried up to the engines in 5 gallon cans and poured into the funnel until the oil tanks were filled.

Additional oil cans were carried into the plane and stowed for later.

Hector soon pulled up in his van and he hurried into the hangar with another man who was a doctor, the doctor examined Pedro carefully and after giving him a local anesthetic, extracted the bullet and closed the wound.

Hector was very apologetic and begged forgiveness saying, "I had no idea they would resort to this act over an old plane! This is so insane! You must hurry!"

With the fuel truck now emptied, they put away the tools and after a hurried preflight inspection.

Roger started the left engine first, it whirled and coughed and coughed and caught and soon it was running cleanly at a busy 1,200 RPM's.

Not waiting for it to finish warming up, Roger started the right engine and soon, it too was running cleanly.

Satisfied that the engines were running properly, they opened the huge hangar doors and hooked the forklift to the tow hitch on the Martin Mariner.

Pulling the bulky airplane outside the hangar, they paused to load up any tools and spares they thought they might need, there wasn't any point in leaving it for the scavengers to pick over.

Eduardo and Pedro glanced at each other and nodded before Eduardo said to Hector, "We are going with them, send our passports on ahead of us and we'll get them later on."

Hector looked grim but nodded in agreement, the three of them embraced briefly and wished each other well, then Pedro and Eduardo boarded the big Martin Mariner.

Roger and Henri took their positions and taxiied the heavy seaplane to the end of the long runway before turning the plane around.

Roger said cheerfully, "Well, so much for the whole series of tests before certification of airworthyness BS!"

Holding the plane still with its brakes, Roger throttled the engines up to their maximum and held it briefly before releasing the brakes and the heavy seaplane surged forward, gathering speed as it tore down the runway.

Roger stared grimly at the end of the runway fast approaching and stealing a quick glance at his speed indicator, he eased back on the wheel and the plane roared into the predawn sky clawing for altitude as the seaside town of Estuario de Santos, Brazil sank beneath their wings.

Once they leveled off at 5,000 ft altitude, Roger followed the coastline north while Henri and Pedro pulled out the maps and began plotting a semblance of a course.

Eduardo sat in the co-pilot's seat and helped Roger watch the sky around them.

At such a low altitude, they had to keep their eyes peeled to watch for other aircraft and stave off a possible collision.

To make sure the landing gear worked, Roger extended and retracted it several times to Henri's amusement and he commented drily, "Have you no ozher toys to play with?"

Roger grinned at his friend and replied, " Hey! I was a deprived child, I never had any toys!"

Pedro looked up from the map and declared, "We'll land at Aeroporto de Salvador and fill up our tanks for the next stop at Aeroporto de Sao Luis and fill up again for the hop to Trinidad and the Piarco International airport there."

Roger and Henri nodded their approval of the route and Roger asked, "How do you feel?" Pedro grinned through his pain and commented, "Like shit, but I'll live, this isn't my first combat wound."

When they were about an hour from the Aeroporto de Salvador, Pedro radioed the tower and informed them of their impending approach.

Roger listened with half an ear to the exchange as he adjusted their course to line up for entry into the flight pattern.

Pedro wiped the sweat from his brow and took some more of the pain relievers the doctor had given him, after swallowing them he grinned and said, "What I wouldn't give for some good rum right now!" The others nodded sympathetically.

Entering the holding pattern, Roger followed a local airlines turboprop job into the final approach and engaged the landing gear.

As it clunked into place, Eduardo and Henri took their seats and buckled in securely.

There were indicator lights saying the gear was engaged but, they didn't trust them just yet.

The runway came up fast and Roger used the flaps to scrub off some more speed and with gritted teeth, set the heavy Martin Mariner down to a smoother landing than they expected.

As the plane slowed rapidly, Henri let his breath out with a 'whoosh' and said drily, "So you were, paying attention when I was teaching you 'ow to fly!"

Roger grinned at his friend and retorted, "How else did you think we were going to get your Antonov out of Russia!"

Exiting the runway they taxied over to where the plane could get fueled up and the oil checked.

Roger shut off the engines and waited until they had stopped before looking over at Pedro and asking, "Has anyone thought about how we're gonna pay for this?"

Pedro grinned and replied,"With plastic?"

Eduardo had exited the huge seaplane and was talking to the fuel truck driver then he turned around and hollered, "They'll take plastic!"

Roger groaned and fished out his wallet, extracting a plastic card, he kissed it before dropping it out the window and muttering, "There goes my credit limit!"

Henri laughed and said cheerfully, "Zhink of ze story you can tell your grandchildren!" Roger grumbled and replied, "I don't have any children to make me a grandfather some day!"

While the fuel truck was emptying itself into the tanks of the Martin Mariner, they checked and topped off the engine oil levels while Eduardo headed off to get some food for the next hop to Aeroporto de Sao Luis, further north in Brazil.

By the time he returned with several bags and boxes, the refueling was finished and Roger's credit card was still warm from the scorching it had received.

Thirty minutes later and Aeroporto de salvador lay far behind them.

This time, Pedro Tovar was at the controls and he flew on a heading that took them over the dense jungle rather than following the coastline as Roger had done.

Roger watched as the dense jungle rolled beneath their wings, he muttered, "Man, I'd hate to go down in this stuff, we'd never be found."

Pedro guffawed and cried gleefully, "The head hunters, they would like you with your hair color!"

Roger grinned and shot back, "I heard the same bullshit when I went through jungle survival school. Only they told me I was too damn skinny!"

Pedro laughed again then winced and muttered, "Oh yeah, I was shot, I was told to rest up and heal. So why am I flying this old crate again?"

"Because you can't stay away and somebody back there objected to us fixing this 'old crate' as you put it, up." replied Roger.

Trading places with Henri, Roger took out his satellite phone and called Rachel. "Roger! Thank God you're alright! Hector called me and told me what happened and how you guys just took off the next morning...You'd better call Freya, she's worried sick about you!"

"We're mostly okay, Pedro Tovar is a bit sore where he was shot, but he's taking his meds and hanging in there okay. He's at the controls right now with Henri sitting co-pilots chair, Eduardo and I are getting some rest." Replied Roger.

"How are you fixed for money? Fuel's gotta be expensive for that plane." asked Rachel. Roger chuckled and commented, "My card just covered the first fill up and I may have enough reserve for a second fill up, after that we're screwed."

Rachel sighed and said, "I can arrange for a transfer of funds to your card, how much do you think you'll need?"

Roger thought for a few moments and replied, "The plane takes almost two thousand gallons of fuel, we're talkin' about six grand per fill up. Better send me twenty grand to play it safe and whatever I don't use can be transferred back."

"Fair enough. Consider it done." replied Rachel.

"Thanks Rache, now let me call little bit and let her know I'm okay!"

Rachel chuckled and commented, "Only you would call her 'little bit' at her care of yourself and say hi to Henri for me." "Will do, later!"

Roger called Freya next and moments later he got an earful. "Whaur ur ye an' wa huvnae ye called me? I've bin waitin' tae hear frae ye an' ye huvnae called in days! Ye cannae be daein' thes tae me, I've bin huir uv a woriat ever since Ah heard frae Rachel abit th' shootin'! Wa huvnae ye called? An' whit is aw 'at stooshie Ah'm hearin'?"

Roger sighed and paused a moment, Freya had yet to sound so agitated before now and she had every right to be upset.

"Freya, you have every right to be upset with me and I am sorry. We have been working day and night to get this plane ready to fly and unfortunately, you got lost in the shuffle. What you're hearing is the engines, we are flying right this very minute and heading north. We figure on landing near the Brazilian coastline and taking off for Trinidad in the morning. Hopefully, we'll be in the U.S. In a few more days and I'll come get you!"

There was a pause and Freya asked, "Ye didnae run all th' tests ye tauld me aboot when ye get an auld airplane flyin' again?"

Roger chuckled and replied, "Ordinarily we would have, the shooting incident kinda forced us to rush things a bit. We figured they'd come back with more of their friends and we just fueled up the plane an took off, once we made sure the engines wouldn't just quit on us."

Roger paused and said, "I suppose once we get to the states we'll have to have it certified as airworthy by the FAA. This is kind of like an extended shakedown cruise."

There was another pause and Freya said softly "Ah didnae mean tae get sae upset with ye, I was kinda worried."

"And I'm sorry for not calling you and making you worry dear. I'll call you soon."Replied Roger as he ended the call.

As before, Pedro radioed the tower at Aeroporto de Sao Luis and informed them of their approach.

He also requested a fuel truck and a place to park the bulky airplane for the night.

Roger contented himself with looking out the small window while the dense jungle gradually thinned and they crossed over the mighty Amazon river delta to enter the flight path and eventually land.

When the 14 cylinder engines ceased their constant background rumble, the four of them looked at each other, so far so good was the consensus.

Their next hop was to Trinidad and a possible inspection of the aircraft and the likely discovery of eight, perfectly good, .50 caliber machine guns all packed in preservatives. While the paperwork they'd brought with them accounted for the guns, a local government official might decide to make a name for himself and arrest the 'arms smugglers'.

Roger made a phone call, he called the Commemorative Flight Museum in Addison, Texas.

After threading through several layers of office clerks who didn't quite 'get' what he was talking about, he found himself talking to the boss of the whole museum and after he briefly explained their situation.

The man took a few moments to reply, "Let me see if I got this straight...You're saying you and some friends are bringing a Martin Mariner PBM-5 up from southern Brazil and it has all of its original armament in place?"

"Something like that." replied Roger, "The guns are stored in preservative and might not get noticed when we land in Trinidad tomorrow."

"And how would I be of service?"

"I want to trade them to you for things I will need and If I have a voucher from you saying you're interested in them as collectors pieces, I might be able to BS my way past a cursory inspection."

Roger heard a hearty chuckle and the man replied, "You do have your nerve, I'll give you that. How many of these things do you have?"

"Eight"

"Buddy, you're sittin' on about 400 grand's worth of hardware there. What're you wanting in exchange?"

"An engine upgrade from Wright-Cyclone R 2600's to Curtiss-Wright R 3350's, you keep the old engines." there was a pause and Roger added, "I'll even throw in the old turrets and radome as I won't be needing them."

After a long pause the man replied, "Tell ya what, you get that plane up here so's I can see it for myself, and we'll talk then!"

Roger grinned and replied, "Fair enough, I'll see you in a few days!"

"You do that!" he said and the call ended.

With the plane all fueled up and oil topped off, they divided up in teams to get showers and food to eat.

They had agreed to sleep on the plane itself for security reasons.

The evening was spent relaxing and inspecting the plane for any unforeseen problems, finding nothing amiss Roger called Freya..."Hey squirt! I just wanted to say hi and let you know we're heading to Trinidad tomorrow morning."

"That's guid tae know, nae problems with th' airplane?" she asked.

"So far so good, but we've got a long hop after we leave Trinidad and should make it to Belize before dark. I'll keep you posted, I promise and I've got a really big hug saved up for you!" replied Roger.

"An' I expect it!" said Freya with a girlish laugh as she signed off.

He smiled at his phone, looked up and saw Henri grinning at him, Roger asked, "What's so funny?"

Henri grinned and said, "I would 'ardly call Freya a squirt, she's way too big for zhat!"

Eduardo raised one eyebrow and asked, "How big is this 'Freya' you're talking about?" Roger replied, "She's six foot six as we speak and she's eleven years old."

Pedro who had heard the exchange commented, "That's a big girl! How tall do you think she'll get?"

Henri grinned roguishly and remarked, "Go ahead, tell zhem 'ow big she'll get!"

Roger smiled and pulled up a photo of him standing with Freya and her parents outside their house.

He showed them the photo and for several moments nothing was said.

Then Eduardo erupted in a brief string of Spanish epithets before saying, "Is this for real? Where is this and who are these people?"

Pedro grinned and said, "What he said!"

"Those are her parents and yes, they are real people. They live in Canada and call themselves 'Jotuns' or Frost giants."

Pedro raised an eyebrow and said skeptically, "Frost giants, like in 'Viking frost giants'?"

"Yep!" replied Roger, "Henri's seen them too, he met them when he and Rachel came up to get me after they had rescued me when I was lost in the forest they call home."

Eduardo chuckled and remarked, "So that was why you wanted this plane, Canada has thousands of lakes and this can land on water! Very clever."

Roger grinned and remarked, "That, and the fact that a Jotun can stand up inside it with a few modifications to the interior."

"What else are you planning to do to it?" "We're going to use it to get to locations where legendary creatures are said to exist and look for them, primarily. That and traveling without dealing with airport hassles. Once freya gets over seven feet tall, she'll attract a lot of attention and she just won't fit in normal sized aircraft."

Henri yawned hugely, glanced at his watch and said, "I'm turning in, wake me when it's my watch!"

Roger commented, "I'll take first watch, you're next Pedro, then it's Eduardo's watch." They all nodded in agreement and turned in to sleep until it was their turn.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

At dawn, Roger was gently roused from his sleep by Henri who next woke Eduardo and Pedro.

Yawning mightily, Roger gulped down some cold coffee and pulled on his boots before grabbing a flashlight and exiting the plane to inspect it before take off.

Eduardo joined him and the two of them checked the bulky Martin Mariner very carefully, they were going to be over water for several hours and wanted no surprises.

When they reentered the plane, Pedro was finishing up changing his wound dressing and checking to see how it was healing before covering it back up again.

He grinned and said grimly, "I am thankful it wasn't a .45 that he shot me with, I would be in the hospital or on a slab if it had been anything larger than a 9mm!"

With everything checked and re-checked, Henri climbed into the pilot's seat while Pedro took the co-pilot's side.

Pedro contacted the tower while Henri went through the final checks and began starting the engines, there was the usual coughing and smoking and spluttering typical of big radial engines then with a roar, the engine cleared its throat and began whirling at a busy 1,200 RPM.

The entire performance was repeated with the second engine and soon, hearing protection was required over the throaty roar of the big engines.

After a fairly routine take off, they were soon out over the Atlantic ocean, heading north to Trinidad and the international airport there.

The flight was uneventful and the big airplane flew steadily on its course setting while Henri and Pedro monitored radio traffic.

Roger took advantage of the calm to send a couple of photos to Freya and to catch up on his sleep.

Hours later, it was the changing of the engine's pitch that woke him up from a sound sleep.

They were entering the flight pattern approaching Piacro International Airport, Trinidad.

When it was their turn, Henri brought the bulky seaplane in for a perfect landing, braked to a near halt and exited the runway as directed.

Shutting the engines off and waiting for the fuel truck to arrive, Roger and Eduardo took advantage of the wait to check the fuel filters and drain the sediment bowls before topping off the engine oil.

Accompanying the fuel truck was an official looking gentleman who asked if they had anything to declare before entering Trinidad.

He looked a bit disappointed when Roger smiled and replied, "To tell you the truth sir, we're not leaving the airport and plan on leaving after fueling up."

He looked Roger over and saw an unshaven, disheveled, somewhat grimy, sunburnt white man who could stand a bath.

He nodded, got back into his jeep and drove off without comment.

While the plane was getting fueled, they conferred on their next flight.

Right off Roger said firmly, "We have to avoid Cuban airspace or Jamaican or even Haitian, they might not appreciate an old warbird flying over their islands. Especially one with Brazilian military markings still on it!"

Pedro chuckled and remarked, "We could fly west to central America and follow the coast up to Belize, most of those banana republics lack any real airforce and wouldn't bother with us." They all glanced at each other and nodded in agreement, west it would be.

A hour later and they saw Trinidad disappearing behind them while in the distance, the coast of Central America lay beyond the horizon.

Roger was at the controls with Eduardo while Henri and Pedro napped for the next leg of the journey.

Cruising at a stately 200 MPH they aimed to conserve fuel and give the engines a break, with a decent tailwind helping them along, they had figured on the flight taking about five hours.

Four and a half hours later they passed over the eastern coast of Panama and banked north. The left engine began running raggedly as if it was starving for fuel and shortly after that, the right engine began acting up.

Eduardo slipped out of the co-pilot's chair and Pedro took his place, in the distance ahead lay Gatun Lake, part of the massive Panama Canal complex.

Roger aimed the plane towards it and struggled to keep the nose up as the plane descended rapidly.

Pedro radioed ahead, warning of their impending arrival and their troubles.

Roger saw an open patch of water free of cargo ships and fishing boats and set the plane on the water with a mighty splash, the entire plane shuddered and threatened to nose over, but Roger, with a herculean effort, kept the nose up and the plane rapidly slowed to a halt.

Roger shut the engines off and they drifted in the water, powerless.

Letting go of the controls, Roger leaned back and heaved a great sigh of relief.

It was a very near thing and they all knew it.

"Now what?" asked Henri, "I don't think ze Canal Zone officials will appreciate our dropping in like zhis."

Roger said grimly, "First, we'll check the fuel filters, who knows what kind of crap gas we got in Trinidad. Eduardo and I checked the filters and sediment bowls when we last filled up and they were clean!"

Roger looked out the window and saw that a small crowd of boats filled with curious onlookers had gathered, after all, it wasn't every day that a huge seaplane landed on Gatun Lake so suddenly.

A larger boat with a flashing blue light approached tooting its horn and the smaller craft made way for it.

It was marked "Canal Zone Police" and it idled up next to the pilot's side window.

An officer leaned out of his window and called out, "What happened?"

Roger hollered back, "Engines quit, we had to land here or crash in the jungle!"

"Are there any injured?" asked the patrolman.

"No, thank goodness! Just red faces and jangled nerves."

The patrolman said apologetically, "I have to notify my superiors about this, this isn't something we have happen regularly. Especially since you have Brazilian Air Force markings."

Roger could only shrug in reply as the patrolman did his duty.

Climbing on top of the aircraft, Roger and Eduardo opened the rear engine nacelles and looked at the sediment bowls and fuel filters.

They were filled with a cloudy mixture of gasoline and water and sediment.

Roger looked across to Eduardo and yelled, "Are you finding sediment too?"

Eduardo looked up at him and with a look of disgust, held up a glass jar full of a murky fluid to answer his question.

Climbing back down inside again, they showed their finds to Henri and Pedro.

Eduardo spat and muttered a curse before saying, "I'm surprised we got this far and what if we hadn't been in a seaplane?" he let that sink in for a moment.

Pedro looked thoughtful and asked, "Can you fix this?"

Eduardo glanced over at Roger for a moment and the two nodded in agreement before Eduardo replied, "We can fix this with the tools we have, but we need to filter all the remaining fuel and somehow, get the sediment out of the tanks before we can really say 'it's fixed'."

Roger got out his satellite phone and called Rachel, when she answered the phone, he said, "Right now we're sitting on Gatun Lake, in the Panama Canal zone. We've had engine troubles and we're assessing our options, we think we can fix the problem and we're otherwise okay."

After a brief pause, Rachel asked, "So what happened?"

Roger sighed and said, "The Avgas we got in Trinidad turned out be crap, it was full of sediment and water mixed in with it. We had checked our fuel filters and sediment traps before hand and they were clean. The engines started acting up just after we made landfall and Gatun Lake was really handy, so we landed there. Right now, we have quite an audience wondering what we'll do next."

"Do you want me to place a hold on that last card charge then?" asked Rachel.

"Hell yes! That shit gas could've caused us to go down at sea and even with a seaplane, landing on open ocean water is tricky as hell. Especially with faltering engines, we'd have little chance of survival!" Growled Roger.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then." remarked Rachel.

"Please do and thanks!" replied Roger with a grin.

Ending the call, Roger turned to the others and said, "At least we can get our money back and teach them a lesson in economics."

The sound of the patrol boat returning intruded on their thoughts. The officer eased up alongside the gently rocking Martin Mariner and the open side door.

"Ahoy sea plane!" he called out, Roger acknowledged him with a wave and a cheery, "Ahoy patrol boat, what news?"

The officer speaking over the murmuring boat engine replied, "We can tow this over to Escobar, a small town near here. We can't have you all out here where a ship might run into you, you're near the main channel for ship traffic and might become a hazard."

Roger nodded in agreement and said, "Bring your boat around the front, there is a mooring point you can tie off to."

The patrolman grinned and backed up to maneuver around the huge wings and cruised up to the nose of the bulky airplane.

Henri in the meantime, had crawled forward and slid the front turret back so he could tie off to the mooring point and toss the line to the patrolman when he was ready.

Soon, the motor patrol boat with all lights flashing, was churning along with a massive world war two seaplane tied to its stern.

Going slowly to allow the small watercraft to make way, it took over an hour to reach a wooden dock near the town of Escobar, Panama.

There, the plane was tied off to the dock and Roger without a single look of irony, cheerfully paid the 'service fees' for getting the plane towed out of harm's way.

When they were secured, Roger called Freya, she answered within three rings. "Hi sweetie!" he began, "We're going to be a bit delayed for a few days." "What dae ye mean 'delayed'? What happened?" she asked.

"We had a bit of engine trouble and had to land at Gatun Lake in Panama. We're all fine, just a little annoyed because of the crap gas causing all the trouble." replied Roger.

"Sae what ur ye gang tae dae noo?" asked Freya.

"We're already docked and a couple of us are in town getting some things we'll need. I thought I'd call you and let you know I'm okay. Just going to be delayed a few more days." replied Roger.

"Call me on th' morrow an' let me ken what yer daein'." remarked Freya. "Will do, talk to you later!" declared Roger as he ended the call.

Next, they rigged up a couple of floating platforms and began working on the engines while Eduardo and Pedro visited a doctor to get his wound examined.

The doctor looked over Pedro's wound and cleaned it a bit with disinfectant before applying a fresh bandage.

While Roger and Henri dismantled the carburetors for cleaning.

Eduardo and Pedro scrounged up several large glass bottles and siphon hoses, these were rigged into a crude filtration system using finely woven cloth to catch the grit and alcohol was added to the gasoline, to absorb the water that couldn't be separated with a settling tank.

A number of young kids had gathered to watch them toiling on the strange airplane that had landed on the lake.

Some of them brought their protesting mothers with them to see the strange airplane at the dock.

Before long, Eduardo had charmed a couple of the local wives into bringing them food in exchange for some hard cash. They ate very well indeed.

Roger and Henri finished cleaning the carburetors and carefully reinstalled them, checking and double checking each others work, just to make sure nothing was missed.

Eduardo and Pedro, meanwhile had drained the fuel tanks into some 55 gallon fuel drums and were cleaning out any remaining grit and water residue.

Three long days later, after another careful check on their work.

They began the labor of refilling the fuel tanks, one five gallon bucket at a time, poured slowly through a rigged up filter just to make certain the gas was clean.

When all the gas was back in the tanks they took a breather, washed up, ate a meal and relaxed a little while.

Next was going to be starting up the engines and making sure they'd run when needed.

The small APU was started up and let run to charge the batteries to their full potential.

The tools were cleaned and put back while all the glass bottles and barrels were returned to their owners.

That afternoon, after a final check and a shooing away of the curious onlookers.

Roger hit the starter switch on the left side engine, it churned and churned and coughed thick, oily smoke, before the huge cylinders began waking up and it ran on its own.

The small crowd cheered and shouted encouragement as the engine ran smoothly, the huge propeller, a blur.

The right side engine was nearly a repeat of the left engine's performance, only it took a bit more fiddling with the carburetor settings to get it to wake up and run smoothly.

Roger and Henri took the plane out onto the lake, and made a few high speed taxi runs before bringing it back to the dock and the wildly enthusiastic crowd awaiting them.

They would leave in the morning, while the lake was quiet and not filled with large ships and small boats.

The dawn's first rays fell upon Roger Tate and Company, casting off the mooring lines to the plane and using long bamboo poles to push the plane away from the dock where it had been moored for the last four days.

Out on the lake, a small flotilla of canal Zone Patrol boats had formed a clear lane for them to take off in.

Outside of this lane, the curious sat in their boats or lined the rails of the ships to watch the take off.

Roger looked out over this spectacle and commented, "Jeeze, you'd think they'd never seen a seaplane taking off before? Willya look at that crowd?"

Pedro grinned at him from the co-pilot's seat and replied, "If nothing else, we've given them something to talk about for a few days at least!"

Roger laughed and retorted, "I find that to to be strangely comforting, somehow."

Taking one last look-see to make sure everything was clear, Roger pushed the starter switch and within a few minutes, the left engine was rumbling at a steady idle.

The right engine soon followed suit and they ran through the preflight checks before easing up the throttles and taxiing the bulky airplane into place.

Roger throttled up the engines and the Hamilton Standard variable pitch propellers did the rest.

At full power, the bulky Martin Mariner surged forward, quickly gathering speed until it was barely skimming the lake's smooth surface.

Roger eased back on the controls and the plane slipped the surly bonds of earth as it climbed into the brightening dawn sky.

Roger gently banked the seaplane and circled the cheering crowds down below to say 'thanks for your hospitality!'.

Then he headed northerly towards Belize and the airport there.

To his amazement he smelled cooking, then he remembered there was a small galley with a two burner electric stove on the Martin Mariner and Henri had gotten loose in it.

A few minutes later, the aroma of fresh coffee wafted into the cockpit and Roger bellowed, "There had better be a cup of java with my name on it!"

Moments later, Henri appeared with a steaming mug of a dark liquid in his hand, he handed it to Roger with a grin and said, "I could not find ze cup wiz your name on it, will zhis do?"

"I'll manage!" replied Roger with a grin.

A few minutes later Henri reappeared with a compartmented metal tray laden with freshly scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon.

He handed it to Roger with the comment, "You Americains wiz your lousy taste in food!"

He ducked back down, only to reappear with another tray he handed to Pedro, it was laden with a typical Brazilian breakfast of some fruit, a sweet roll, a variety of cheeses and black coffee.

It was about noon when Pedro called ahead on the radio to let the airport officials know they were coming and to have fuel on hand for them.

Thirty minutes later, they entered the traffic pattern for the airport and followed the other aircraft in a big circular pattern above the Belize City Municipal Air Port.

The landing gear came down without a hitch and before long, the sudden squeal and rumbling of the tires announced their arrival.

Once they had parked the airplane and shut down the engines, they inspected the fuel filters and sediment taps, to their satisfaction both were clean.

The fuel truck arrived and with it, a customs official who smiled and asked, "Are you planning on leaving the airport? If so, do you have anything to declare?"

Roger smiled at him and replied, "If we do leave the airport, it will be to buy food for our next flight, as we're leaving in the morning."

The man grinned and replied, "So long as you don't bring anything from the airport, you are free to go get food and welcome to Belize!"

Eduardo supervised the refueling closely, carefully watching the flow of fuel into the tanks on board the airplane, his only comment to the fuel truck driver was, "We had engine trouble from the last fuel we got in Trinidad, it was full of sediment and cloudy with water."

The driver remarked, "I'm not surprised, the gas was probably a bit old too, they don't sell much Avgas 100 down there."

Eduardo muttered, "We ended up landing on Gatun Lake to everyone's amusement and spent four days straining gas and cleaning carburetors."

The driver laughed and remarked, "So, it was you guys we heard about! It was quite the landing, or so I heard."

Eduardo shrugged and said, "You could say that." The driver grinned and asked, "So, where to next?"

Eduardo replied, Our next flight is a long hop to Texas and some flight museum there."

Looking over the bulky Martin Mariner, the driver commented, "Is this going to be in a museum?"

"I think they're going to do some refurbishing and recertification for airworthyness." replied Eduardo.

The driver said quietly, "You mean this thing isn't certified? You guys are really nuts ya know."

They spent the rest of the day studying the maps and relaxing.

With the engines now running smoothly, it was felt the flight would mostly boring.

Still, they reinspected the plane yet one more time.

Roger took a little time to call Freya. "Hello?"

"Hi sweetie! I just wanted to say hi before tomorrow's flight. We're heading for Texas and should be there by late afternoon, early evening." said Roger.

"That's verra guid an' yoo'll cam get me after ye get haem?" she asked.

"Just as soon as I can, after getting back to Portland!" he answered.

"Ah'll be awaitin' yer call." she replied before pausing and saying quietly, "Ah really dae miss ye, its too quiet aroun' here."

Roger smiled and replied, "I miss you too, dear."

Next he called the Commemorative Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. When he finally got through to the museum director and refreshed his memory, the man chuckled and said, "I kinda figured I'd be hearing from y'all about now, where're y'all at?"

Roger replied, "We are at the Belize City Municipal Airport. We are all gassed up and waiting to leave at first light."

There was a pause and the director replied, "If my memory hasn't gone south, I figure y'all should be able to make it here in one flight. That way, I can have federal paperwork all ready for the hardware we talked about earlier."

"That would be very nice, we've avoided getting a going over by not leaving any airports we landed at. We only stopped to get fuel and some sleep."

The director chuckled and remarked, "That's one way to keep the federales from snooping around, even if y'all didn't have any fun."

Roger replied, "Believe me, we had plenty of things to occupy us during this trip...I'll tell you all about it when we get there."

Roger heard a chuckle and the director asked drily, "Will it be a two drink tale? "

Roger laughed and replied, "It'll be a real bender of a tale!"

"I'd better stock up then! Catch y'all when y'get here tomorrow evening!" replied the director as he ended the call.

In the gray light of predawn, Roger and crew did a final walk around of the big Martin Mariner.

Oil and gas levels were checked and rechecked and checked again.

Taking their seats once more, Pedro and Eduardo each said a silent prayer for a safe flight.

Meanwhile, Roger and Henri went through the final preflights before starting the engines.

Fifteen minutes later, the air was filled with the roar of a pair of fourteen cylinder Wright Cyclone engines as the bulky seaplane rose into the growing light of day and headed north.

Leveling off at 5,000 feet, Roger and Henri settled in for a long flight ahead with one eye kept on the instruments and the other eye watching for other aircraft until they got farther out to sea and the coast hugging, smaller aircraft were no longer a problem to watch for.

Hours later, as they approached the coast of Texas, USA Roger picked up the radio beacon frequency for the flight museum and began following it.

A Texas air national guard jet flew close by and Roger waved at the pilot as he flew alongside the lumbering seaplane.

The radio squawked "What is your destination? Over."

Roger picked up the microphone to reply, "We are headed to the Commemorative Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. They are expecting us. Over."

The pilot gave him a 'thumbs up' sign and banked his jet to pull away from them.

Henri chuckled and commented, "Zhat was almost too easy."

Roger grinned at his old friend and retorted, "This thing's at near maximum speed and he was nearly at his stall speed, how would we possibly evade him?"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Two hours later and they were making the final approach to the airport supporting the Commemorative Flight Museum.

Below them they could see an array of vintage aircraft ranging from diminutive scout planes to a massive Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber, the only flyable one in the world, all parked on a hardstand and ready to be flown.

The four men had their faces pressed to their windows to see the impressive collection, the largest privately owned collection of military aircraft in the world.

Eduardo was heard to sigh and mutter, "Someday, we hope to have as impressive a collection in Brazil."

Quickly regaining their seats, they hastily buckled in and braced them selves for the landing which went off without a hitch.

The emergency ground vehicles that had quickly lined up alongside the runway, quickly returned to their stations, their services not being needed at this time.

With the seaplane guided into position and parked, Roger shut off the engines and as they whirled to a stop, Roger and crew let out a collective sigh of relief.

They had done it, they had retrieved the Martin Mariner, in spite of having to reassemble it and getting attacked by hired thugs who managed to wound Pedro during the fight.

Of having to land it on a crowded Gatun Lake while dodging huge cargo ships and small watercraft, then spending nearly a week cleaning carburetors and filtering bad Avgas 100 to get out of there.

The four of them grinned hugely at each other and began laughing at their good fortune.

Exiting the bulky seaplane, they were greeted by the museum director himself, a tall, robust man wearing a pair of Raybans and a white Stetson hat.

With him was a pair of BATF inspectors, well armed with clip boards and paperwork.

He grinned at them and said in a booming voice, "Well gawd damn! Ya did it! Y'all really did it!"

He extended a massive hand and said, "Tom Sanders, Colonel, U.S. Air Force, retired and no, I'm not related to the chicken colonel, before you ask!"

Roger grinned back and retorted as he shook hands with the former Colonel Sanders, "That's good, because I like the other guy's chicken better!"

Tom Sanders laughed and said, "I prefer steak myself!"

Roger turned to his crew and introduced them, "Tom, I want you to meet the gang of four." He pointed at each of them and said, "Henri DuValliere, French air force reservist and good guy in a pinch!"

Henri nodded, "Pedro Tovar, former pilot Brazilian air force, drug enforcement pilot, he knows these old birds."

Pedro grinned, "And lastly, Eduardo Castillo, former chief mechanic, Brazilian air force, drug enforcement agency, he fixes these old birds."

Tom grinned and shook hands with each of them.

Pedro flinched slightly when he shook hands with Tom and Tom asked, "Are you okay?"

Pedro smiled at him and replied, "We had a little 'discussion' with some thugs hired by a local drug lord who wanted this plane. During our little 'chat' I caught a nine millimeter bullet in my left shoulder. Fortunately, I am right handed!"

Tom grinned and roared with laughter, "Y'all weren't kiddin' when y'said this was a bender of a tale!"

"Now, back to business." Tom said, he glanced at the two BATF agents and said to Roger, "You mentioned you had a number of .50 caliber machine guns and you would like to sell or trade them for work on this here aircraft."

Roger nodded in reply and Tom continued, "These fine gentlemen are going to take temporary custody of the machine guns in question and hold them until we can verify that they were not stolen."

Roger smiled and opened up the bulky manila envelope he had with him.

Rummaging around inside for a few moments, he pulled out some papers and handed them to the BATF agents with the comment, "This is a list of all the items included in the sale of this aircraft to our museum. You will see the machine guns are listed and described as being preserved in cosmoline."

The senior agent looked closely at the paperwork and commented, "Going by the serial numbers written down here, these guns were all built during WW2 and not likely to have been stolen."

He smiled at them and said, "We'll still check them out, just to keep our jobs, but these things are museum pieces and probably worth twice as much as the newer .50's."

Tom grinned and said, "Well now, it looks like your bargaining chip just got bigger! Let's see what the FAA has to say..."

Roger laughed and remarked, "This plane is not FAA certified, we left in a hurry and didn't wait around for a certification, we just took off and hoped for the best!"

Tom chuckled and remarked, "The fact that you got it here, tells me it's probably gonna pass the certification process."

The two agents entered the bulky aircraft and began opening up the machine gun storage containers and checking serial numbers.

While they were doing that, Tom and Roger sat down and talked shop.

Tom began with, "I did agree to look this plane over and consider trading two of my reserve Curtiss-Wright 3350's for your machine guns and two Wright Cyclone 2600's.

I assume that we will be doing the engine upgrades which will involve changing the cowlings as well?"

Roger replied, "That's pretty much the gist of it, yes.

Now Eduardo was involved with a planned engine upgrade to the 3350 engines and has all the notes and feasibility studies they had performed before the program was cancelled by a general with too much time on his hands."

Tom grinned and remarked drily, "I find it strangely comforting to know that my beloved air force, is not the only one afflicted with too many generals with time on their hands."

He looked thoughtful and asked, "This Eduardo, he worked on large piston engined aircraft you say?"

Roger nodded in reply and said, "He was the Brazilian equivalent of a chief warrant officer specializing in aircraft engine maintenance. He was working for the TAM aereo museo keeping their fleet aloft."

Tom looked impressed and remarked, "I've heard of them, they're a good museum. We've traded a few planes in the past."

Roger smiled and said, "You might want to consider hiring him to help out with the engine upgrades, it will save you guys a lot of headaches and time."

Tom grinned and replied, "I plan on talking to him about his experience. Many of the mechanics who worked on this stuff when it was new, are getting on in years and a younger man with similar experience will find work real easy, if he's interested."

"I think he'll be interested, Brazil's a little too hot for him right now and if he has a good job prospect up here, he'll want to stay here."

"So, what else you got?" asked Tom.

"Well, we have several powered machine gun turrets we won't be using and a bunch of period avionics we won't need with a modern GPS and satellite connection in their places." replied Roger.

"We figure taking out the turrets, the radar and the associated electronics will save a bunch of weight, possibly a couple of tons or more."

Tom looked thoughtful and remarked, "I can use all that stuff for restoration projects or trading with other air museums...Okay, I'll do it!"

He rose at the same time Roger did and they closed the deal with a handshake. "You'll have to leave the plane here until it's ready and in the meantime, I'm gonna put it on display!"

Roger laughed and replied, "I expect you to!"

Tom went to speak at length with both Pedro and Eduardo while Roger called Rachel.

She answered quickly, "Please tell me you're all okay! I swear I've aged ten years these last few weeks."

Roger replied quite cheerfully, "Well then, I have good news. We are here in Texas, we landed about two hours ago and the Commemorative Flight Museum accepted our proposal to make a trade and...They will be doing the work."

Roger quickly moved the phone away from his ear while a loud "WoooHoooo!" blared from it.

He grinned and asked, "I take it you like it?"

Rachel laughed and replied, That's the best news I've heard since we got tangled up in this whole thing. Now, I want you to call that girl of yours right now, while I call my boss and tell him the good news."

Roger grinned and replied, "Yes, ma'am!" Then he called Freya.

"Hi sweetie, I've got great news!" he began. "Yoo're here in th' states?"

"Yep! We landed about two hours ago and we're here in Texas at the Commemorative Flight Museum. They've agreed to go over the plane and make sure everything is in good condition before we take it home with us."

"How soon afore ye come tae get me?" she asked.

"Hopefully in another day or so, I did everything I set out to do and now, I just have to catch a flight up to Canada to get you." he replied, then added, "As soon as we get back, I'm taking you to get some fresh ramen!"

Freya laughed and replied, "Then I willnae eat for a coupla days, so's I will be verra hungry!"

Roger chuckled and gleefully retorted, "As much as you eat, I'd hardly notice a difference! I'll be seeing you soon sweetie, bye now."

"Guid bye tae ye too."

With his head still feeling a little fuzzy from the night before and their celebrating the retrieval of the Martin Mariner with a steak dinner and a lot of booze.

Roger boarded the Canadair flight to Vancouver, Canada.

Shortly after take off when the cabin lights indicated it was safe to unbuckle and move about the cabin, he asked the flight attendant for a pillow and a blanket.

When the attendant returned and handed him the items, the attendant said with a smile, "If you like, I can move you to a quieter area, so you'll be relatively undisturbed."

Roger grinned at him and replied, "That would be greatly appreciated!"

He rose from his seat and followed the attendant further back in the plane to where there was an empty row of seats.

Folding away the armrests to make a bench and settling into place, Roger smiled at the attendant and said, "This will be perfect, thank you!"

The attendant grinned at him and replied, "I know a weary traveler when I see one, working here, I see this all the time."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "Weary is hardly the word for it, I've spent the last month and a half retrieving a world war two seaplane from Brazil.

It took over a week just to fly it to Texas because we had to set it down on Gatun Lake to fix the carburetors because of the bad gas we got in Trinidad."

Visibly impressed, the attendant said, "Woah, my granddad flew a PBY during the Pacific campaign patrolling for Japanese submarines. He had quite a few stories to tell!"

He grinned at Roger and said a cheery, "Enjoy your flight!" and left Roger to become reacquainted with sleep.

The soft chiming of the in cabin message board advising the passengers to prepare for landing, roused Roger from a very pleasant dream.

One where he was strolling along a tropical beach with a towering Norse goddess by his side.

As she vanished from his dream, Roger straightened up and buckled in for the landing.

After a routine landing and exiting the plane, he retrieved his overnight bag and headed for the Canadair Customer service counter.

The smiling counterperson said brightly, "How may I help you?"

Roger smiled at her and replied, "I would like to commend a flight attendant for a job well done."

He showed her the boarding pass and she handed him a form to fill out.

Roger took a few minutes to write down his comments about his flight experience and handed it back to her while saying, "I just wanted to express my appreciation for his going that extra step. I was really tired and his helping me get that muchly needed sleep is greatly appreciated."

She smiled very brightly and said cheerfully, "I will relay this along and thank you very much for choosing Canadair for your travel needs!"

Roger grinned at her and headed for Canadian customs with his I.D. and passport in hand.

The Canadian customs agents smiled and practically waved him through.

From there he went to a regional airline and booked a flight to Bella Coola airport, where he would get a lift to Ape Lake and meet up with Freya.

While waiting for his flight he called Freya, she answered her phone rather quickly, "Hi!" she began, "Are ye coming tae Canada yet?"

Roger smiled and replied, "I'm actually here in Vancouver and getting ready to fly up to Bella Coola airport, we leave in about an hour."

He heard Freya exclaim to someone else, "He's haur awreddy, he's doon in Vancoover an' gettin' ready tae fly up haur! Ah need tae gie me things aw packed up an' ready."

She got back to him and asked, "Are ye comin' up tae uir hoose?"

"I can stay a couple of days, I don't want to just show up and say, 'okay , I'll just be taking your daughter back now, thank you!' I oughtta at least hoist a tankard or two of your great uncle's ale just to be polite!" replied Roger.

Freya mused, "It's a two day walk tae the wee town we trade with, if we leave right noo. Yoo'll huvtae wait fer us a coupla days or sae."

Roger interjected, "I can arrange for a helicopter ride to the lake if you like, that'll save you all a bunch of walking."

"Yes, we woods like that verra much!" enthused Freya.

"I thought you'd like the idea, I'll make the arrangements!" Replied Roger with a grin.

The flight from Vancouver to Bella Coola took little more than an hour and once there, Roger went to the floatplane service based there as there was no helicopter service available.

When he asked to be flown to Ape Lake, the owner looked at him over his bi-focals and remarked, "It's none'a my business but, I don't see any fishing or camping gear..."

Roger smiled and replied, "I'm meeting someone up there, they're expecting me."

"Okay...Will you be wanting a pick up?"

"Yes, after two days and I'll be bringing someone out with me along with some luggage."

The owner jotted down a couple of notes and commented, "I can pick you all back up in two days at three o'clock. I'm not flying after dark up there, too many things to run into!"

Roger grinned at him and replied, "I wouldn't expect you to, I'm a pilot myself and I know the risks involved."

The man smiled and asked, "Got any floatplane experience? I could use an extra pilot!"

Roger laughed and replied, "I just got through flying a Martin Mariner up from Brazil. Making an emergency landing on Gatun Lake was no picnic, what with all the cargo ships and smaller watercraft out there."

The owner grinned at him and remarked, "So you're the guy I heard about, they have the plane down there in Texas now, don't they?"

"Yep, they're gonna do an engine upgrade and airworthyness certification."

The owner chuckled and said, "I've always wanted to meet a certifiable pilot, now I can say I have!"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The flight to Ape lake only took about twenty minutes and most of that was taking off and landing again.

The owner circled around until they saw Freya emerge from the forest to wave at them.

He waggled his wings back and settled onto the calm lake to cruise near the rocky shore, where Freya was standing with a big smile on her pretty face.

When the passenger side float graunched slightly against the shore, Roger grinned at the owner/pilot and said, "Curbside service, I like that!"

They shook hands and the owner said cheerfully, "I'll be back in two days, around three P.M. Don't be late!"

Roger grabbed his overnight bag and stepped out and onto shore.

He pushed on the side of the floatplane to help it move onto the lake's surface and watched until it had taken off again.

Roger turned towards Freya and they embraced, as he held her, he felt his shoulder getting wet.

Freya was crying. When they separated a bit, Freya sniffled as her tears flowed freely, then she exclaimed, "Ye great bloody fool ay a man! Ye huvnae idea ay how I worried aboot ye, when ah learnt ay yer scrape wit' th' drug laird, Ah was sae frightened fer ye an' Ah cooldnae speart with oniebody aboot me fears!"

Roger smiled at her and replied softly, "I'm sorry I scared you so much, it was never my intention to make you worry. I sent you home to protect you because I didn't know what really to expect and didn't want you in harm's way."

He pulled her back into his arms and he held her tightly for a long moment.

They separated again and with hands joined, set out for the tiny village of giants hidden deeply in the Canadian woods.

Freya took a more direct route this time and they arrived at the tiny hamlet shortly after dark.

Roger got a thorough going over by the great guardian wolves and nearly perished in Gudrun's immense bosom as she hugged him fiercely.

Sigurd laughed and offered him an ale, which Roger gratefully accepted.

Dinner was laid out and Roger sat with Freya as he devoured Gudrun's cooking and listened to her family talking to each other.

When Roger told his tale of adventure and near misses while dealing with a balky airplane, they all sat quietly, taking in every word.

When he and Freya entered her bedroom to sleep, he no sooner lay down on her guest bed, when he dropped off to an exhausted slumber.

It was early afternoon when Roger finally woke up, Freya was out and about so he washed up got dressed and made his way into the kitchen where he encountered Gudrun slicing up a hunk of elk meat into bite sized gobbets of flesh.

These were added to a large iron cauldron hanging over the cooking fire in the great fireplace.

Swinging the cauldron back over the fire, Gudrun smiled at him and said, "Och, sae yoo're finally awake! Ye slept like th' dead aw nicht an' half th' day away."

Roger smiled at his towering hostess and replied, "Yeah, I was pretty tuckered out. I didn't get much real sleep while I was in Brazil and last night, it kinda caught up to me."

He glanced around and asked, "Where's little bit?"

Gudrun raised one reddish eyebrow and asked, "Little bit?"

He grinned at her and replied cheerfully, "'Little bit' is kinda my nick name for Freya, even though she already much taller than me now."

Gufrun smiled at him and replied, "She's ootside, payin' 'er respects tae 'er granny. Ye might wanter take a wee stroll doon tae 'er cottage an' fetch 'er."

Roger smiled and thanked her then left to go visit Induna, Freya's grandmother and living repository of Jotun lore and history.

After passing though the small hamlet and exchanging pleasantries with several of the giants, all busily making things, tending small garden plots or fruit trees while talking to their children about the wide world beyond their forest.

Roger approached Induna's cottage and saw her sitting outside at her loom, weaving the cloth she used to make her own clothing.

Freya was sitting beside her and reading one of her grandmother's ancient books written in the mysterious runes, the Jotuns preferred to write in.

Roger smiled at the memory of glancing at one of Freya's note books and seeing the pages covered with her neat runic script and sketches of things she'd seen.

Lying on the other side of Induna was Astrid, her long time guardian wolf companion.

The aged wolf looked at Roger with sightless eyes, the cataracts of age having robbed her of her vision.

Although her incredibly sensitive nose still recognized him by his scent, and her great tail wagged slightly in greeting.

Induna smiled at him as he knelt beside Astrid and gave her a gentle ear rub and caress while saying softly, "Hello again old girl, it's good to see you!"

Astrid tilted her great gray head up and licked him on his face and he laughed as he said, "Hey now! You'll make all the other girls jealous!"

Straightening up again Roger stepped closer to Induna and received one of her immense hugs, he briefly enjoyed the feeling of warmth he got from her and reluctantly stepped back again.

She smiled at him and said, "It's guid tae see yer again, Freya has told me aw aboot yer adventurin' doon in Brazil."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Yeah, it wasn't as bad as some I've been in, but I wouldn't want to repeat the experience!"

Induna chuckled and remarked, "It's th' experiences that makes us wise in uir auld age." "Provided we live through them!" quipped Roger with a grin.

Induna merely smiled at his comment and resumed her weaving, the rythmic motions of her loom making cloth, one thread at a time.

Roger watched her at work for a few more minutes and said, "Gudrun is making up a large pot of stew for dinner and Old Harald is coming over with some ale to wash it down with. Would you like to join us?"

Induna smiled at him and replied, "Ay coorse Ah'd loch tae join ye, yoo're one ay me fav'rite wee fowk!"

Roger smiled at her and said cheerfully, "I'm gonna go help Gudrun after I invite Old Harald to dinner."

Induna laughed and retorted, "Clever man, invitin' fowk afore th' scran is ready!"

Roger grinned and waved goodbye as he walked towards Old Harald's cottage.

Following the smell of beer brewing, Roger made his way over to Old Harald's cottage.

There he found the giant with a tankard in one hand, supervising a younger giant who was adding ingredients to a large brewing vessel.

Roger called out brashly, "What does it take to get a drink around here?"

Without missing a beat, Harald grinned at him and retorted, "First, ye ask p'litely, then ye say please"

Roger laughed, picked up one of the sampling tankards and replied, "May I please have a drink? For I am thirsty and hear you make a fine ale!"

Harald beamed and said, "Noo that's maur loch it!" he took the tankard from Roger, filled it to the rim and handed it back with a impressive grin.

After they raised their tankards and said, "Tae fine ale an' guid women!"

Roger knocked back about a third of his tankard in one mighty sup and nodded his approval of Harald's latest batch.

Harald smiled at him and asked, "Did me grandniece keep ye aw tae 'erself last nicht?"

Roger grinned back and replied, "Actually, it was the sandman who defeated me last night. Freya had nothing to do with it!"

Finishing his tankard, Roger asked, "Would you like to have dinner at your niece's house tonight? I have to go back after tomorrow and would like to see all of you together. I'm sure your ale will be most welcome."

Old Harald grinned at his small visitor and replied, "Wa, Ah'd loove tae visit, Ah'll bring a firkin ay ale wi' me."

Roger smiled and replied, "I'll see you at six!"

He returned to Gudrun's kitchen and announced, "Induna and Old Harald have accepted my invitation to dinner. Now, how can I help?"

Gudrun laughed and said while handing him a folded cloth, "Ye can start by settin' th' big table ootside."

Roger smiled at his towering hostess and grabbed up a jotun child sized broom that had been Freya's.

He went back outside and clambered up onto the huge feasting table to sweep it off before covering it with the tablecloth Gudrun had given him.

Next, he laid out twelve places for the family and a couple of extras for unexpected guests. Freya's brothers, Olaf, Erik and Leif came out of the house lugging the stout wooden chairs that went with the great table and set them in place.

Olaf and Erik then went off to assist Freya with Induna while Leif and Roger set up the side board and stand Old Harald would be using for his firkin of ale.

Leif grinned at Roger and said, "Noo, we fetch th' tankards!" and the two of them trooped into the house to get the tankards in question.

Sigurd came out of the house and set up the iron tripod he would be hanging the great cauldron from, then between the legs, he placed a circular iron tray that would hold the coals from the fireplace to keep the cauldron warm.

Sigurd, with a critical eye, looked over the table that Roger and Leif had set up.

After a long moment, he nodded his approval and said to Leif, "Run alang noo an' help yer stoatin uncle with his ale."

Leif grinned at his massive father and trotted off to Old Harald's cottage.

Sigurd chuckled and remarked, "Me yoongest lad loves tae help 'is stoatin uncle wi' 'is ale brewin'."

He smiled at Roger and said, "Come an' 'elp me wi' th' cauldron, ye can bring th' coals fur th' warmin' tray."

Roger grinned and followed his giant host into the house.

Inside the kitchen, Sigurd lifted the cauldron off the iron hook while Roger scooped up some of the coals and put them in a metal bucket.

Going back outside, Sigurd hung the heavy cauldron with great care then stepped back while Roger spread the coals in the tray and adjusted to keep it close to the cauldron's rounded bottom.

Induna arrived with assistance from her stalwart grandsons Olaf and Erik, while Freya carried the lap robe and blanket she would wear draped around her aged frame.

Walking painfully alongside was Astrid, the aged great wolf.

Roger ran into the house and grabbed an old blanket for her to lie on.

Induna smiled at Roger as he carefully arranged the blanket for Astrid and guided her to it. Old Harald came up the pathway, leaning carefully on his youngest nephew Leif.

Behind him trudged his assistant brewmaster who trundled a stout cask of his ale in a wheelbarrow.

Freya's boisterous aunt Barbara arrived carrying a basket filled with her amazing berry pies for their dessert.

She set the basket on the side board and swept Roger up in one of her legendary hugs, nearly burying him in her immense bosom.

Roger stepped back afterwards while Freya momentarily bristled over her aunt's temerity in being so forward with her Roger.

Gudrun chuckled at her sister and commented, "Dinnae be sae rough wi' that wee man, he's nae match fer ye!"

Barbara laughed and replied, "Ahm only showin' me affection, Ah loch heem, he's a guid man."

Roger smiled and muttered softly, "Remind me to never piss you off!"

With both Sigurd and Gudrun serving up the stew and Old Harald serving up the ale, everyone was soon sitting at the great feasting table, happily eating and drinking.

Roger had made a bowl of food for Astrid and the elderly wolf was enjoying her own meal while everyone else noshed.

Feeling much like a child again while the grownups talked, Roger realized that he was now the smallest person at the table even though he was not the youngest, that distinction went to Freya.

Talk around the table was that Harald, the eldest son was now expecting a baby from his wife Iona, it was their first and they were very excited.

Sigurd smiled at the prospect of becoming a grandfather and talked of wanting to travel to see his oldest boy.

Gudrun politely reminded him of his own parental responsibilities right at home, and he merely grinned and took another sup of his ale.

Eventually age and a good meal, took its toll and both Induna and her brother Old Harald, excused themselves from the table and asked to be assisted home.

Induna asked Roger and Freya to escort her home, and soon he was walking slowly with Induna leaning on him for support while he held onto Astrid's fur to guide her.

Freya carried Induna's lap robe and blanket under one arm and carried a small basket with a clay pot of stew and a whole berry pie for later on.

At her door, Induna said, "Wait haur a bit, Ah huv a present fur ye Roger."

She went inside followed by Astrid and returned with a folded cloth bundle, handing it to him, she said, "Ye ur a guid man Roger Tate and Ah wish tae show me appreciation."

Roger opened it up and realized it was a hand made coat for him to wear.

He tried it on at once and exclaimed, "It fits me perfectly, this is amazing, thank you so much!"

He hugged Induna and she chuckled softly and said merrily, "Careful noo, ye'll make me granddochter a wee bit envious." Roger laughed and replied, "She has nothing to fear from you, I'm happy right where I am."

Walking back to her parents house, Freya took his hand and said softly, "Thenk ye fur sayin' yoo're happy bein' with me."

Roger smiled at her and replied, "Well, it's all true."

The table had been cleaned up and almost everything was already put away by the time they returned from seeing Induna home.

Freya's brothers had already returned from helping their great uncle get back home with his nearly empty firkin of ale.

From the looks on their faces, Roger figured they had polished off the remainder of the ale before returning home.

The next morning, they enjoyed a good breakfast and after saying goodbye to everyone. Roger and Freya returned to the lake to wait for their pick up.

Just before three in the afternoon, Freya spotted the floatplane as it made its approach, it soon landed smoothly and motored up to the rocky shoreline.

Roger quickly opened the passenger side door and said, "Good to see you again! This is Freya, my companion."

The owner grinned at her and said, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance miss."

Roger pushed the plane away from the shore, heaved their luggage in the back and secured it, then got into his own seat and buckled in.

A few minutes later, they were flying back to Bella Coola airport and the waiting local airliner that would take them back to Vancouver, Canada.

The rest was a whirlwind of customs agents, boarding a big jet liner and flying south, landing in Portland, Oregon.

Another whirlwind of customs agents and finally getting out of the shuttle van that had pulled into their driveway. They were home again after almost two months.

Roger looked at his youthful giantess companion and said, "Our trip took a lot longer than I had anticipated. Your grade point average probably took a real bad hit from your lengthy absence...Sorry about all this."

Freya smiled at him and replied, "It's okay, I wrote me journal like ye asked me tae. Ah can give it tae me teacher thes Monday at school."

Roger smiled and remarked, "Why not? It couldn't hurt!"

He took her hand and said, "Shall we go inside?" Freya smiled at him, squeezed his hand and nodded a 'yes!"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

A death in the family

Roger was sitting up in bed engrossed in his new book, when he heard the soft rapping of knuckles on his bedroom door.

"Yes?" he replied and the door opened to reveal a nearly twelve year old Freya clad only in her night shirt and panties.

She had her cell phone in hand and her face bore all the signs of great distress. Tears flowed freely from her bright blue eyes and she sniffled to control her runny nose.

Roger closed his book and got out of bed.

He said out of concern, "Freya honey? What's wrong?!"

She sobbed and managed to say, "Me granny's dead! She died thes e'enin', me mammy jist called me tae tell me."

Roger instinctively wrapped his arms around her and held her closely.

She wrapped her own arms around him and held him closely, as only a seven foot tall girl-child could do.

He felt her tears soaking his tee shirt and her body shaking as she wept freely.

Roger felt his own eyes tearing up as the news sunk in.

Induna Hagridsdottir has died and along with her passing, so did her knowledge of her people's lore pass with her.

Roger gently guided her to his bed and they lay down together in a tangle of long limbs as she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning while Freya still slept in his bed, Roger made a few calls to the local airport, he needed a float plane ASAP.

His own plane, or rather the museum's plane, a big Martin Mariner PBM was still months away from being airworthy and would not be ready in time.

After a few calls and connections, he had a float plane.

It was a refurbished Cessna 195 Businessliner with floats and retractable wheels for dry landings.

It would be a little cramped for the seven foot tall Freya, but under the circumstances, he'd make it work.

By early afternoon Freya had gotten up, taken a long shower, gotten dressed and was now sitting at the kitchen table moving her food around on the plate Roger had set before her.

She had no appetite and merely toyed with her food rather than eating it.

He sat across from her and said quietly, "I've managed to get a float plane for tomorrow. We can have it for a week before we start getting charged out the wazoo."

Freya smiled weakly at him, her reddened eyes rimed with the salt crystals of dried tears.

He squeezed her hands in his and said, "I'm going to get a few things for the trip. While I'm gone you can pack up a bag for yourself and I'll be back this early evening...Okay?!"

"Okay" she managed to say, her usual sunny, chatty self hidden by her loss.

Roger left the house and headed to the Food Warehouse nearest them.

There he picked up a half dozen brown sugar glazed hams, 50 Lbs of yams and 100 Lbs of Russet potatoes, a stop at the Liquor Barn netted him 4 cases of Guinness Extra stout and a dozen extra bottle openers just in case there wasn't any at Freya's home.

Lastly, he stopped at a florists and picked up a suitable arrangement for Induna's funeral.

Returning home, he found Freya all packed up and ready to go.

Roger called the newspapers and the post office and asked them to hold all of their deliveries until further notice.

Freya, in the meantime had loaded their bags in the van and was sitting in it waiting for him to finish 'gabbing tae strangers' as she would put it.

A quick look around at the appliances and the doors and windows checked later, Roger fired up the van and off they went to the small private airport where the Cessna 195 floatplane waited.

The owner of the metal bird was waiting by his pride and joy, smiling he handed over the keys and said, "She's got ten hours on a recent overhaul, so the motor is fresh and won't use a lot of oil with the new style rings we fitted.

All the tanks are full so fuel won't be a problem going up, there is a couple of gallons of motor oil stashed under the pilots seat just in case she needs a topping off."

When Freya exited the van to help load up, the owner briefly gaped and declared in amazement, "I do believe you're the tallest girl I've ever seen. If you like, I can move the co pilot's seat back to make more leg room for you."

Freya smiled at him and said pleasantly, "That would be verra nice o'ye, me thanks tae ye." While the owner relocated the seat for her, she helped Roger load everything onto the Cessna and tie it down securely.

After the final preflights were checked off Roger turned the key and soon the seven cylinder Jacobs engine was running at a fast idle.

He gave the owner a final thumb's up and resumed checking his instruments and maps, it would be dark soon and the bulk of the flight would be in darkness.

The compass and map would be a back up for the on board GPS if it failed.

They taxied into position and waited their turn at the runway.

A few minutes later they got the green light and with a roar they took off and were soon aloft and climbing to their cruising altitude and speed.

Freya sat quietly, dabbing at her eyes and occasionally sniffling.

She and her grandmother had been very close as she was her only granddaughter and Induna had tried to teach her how to read the ancient texts and speak the ancient tongue.

Roger sighed, it was going to be a long flight with his normally chatty companion so subdued.

Several hours later, Roger called the small airport at Bella Coola, Canada to let them know he would be arriving within the hour.

Freya who had sat quietly for most of the flight suddenly spoke up, "We're nae goin' tae th' loch?"

He replied apologetically, "Sorry honey, but I don't feel like crashing this nice plane trying to land at night on a dark lake.

Maybe if the moon was full I'd try it. We're landing at Bella Coola airport near Hagensborg."

"Ah" was her only comment and she lapsed into silence once more.

An hour later, Roger delicately touched down on the single runway at Bella Coola airport and gently braked the Cessna to taxiing speed.

He followed the ground guide's directions and parked the Cessna where directed.

They exited the plane taking only a single bag each, while the ground guide gaped at Freya's height, Roger locked the cabin doors and pocketed the keys.

The youthful ground guide asked, " Sir, d'you want it filled up?"

Roger grinned at him and replied, "Yes, please and could you check the oil in a little bit?" as he slipped the young man a crisp tenner.

He grinned back and said brightly "Yes, sir! A pleasure sir!"

Glancing around briefly, Roger asked, "How far to the nearest motel?"

The young man pointed across the two lane road running through town and said, "My folks have that one across the street, if that'll do?"

"Any port in the storm." Replied Roger with a grin as he took Freya's hand and the headed towards the glowing neon "Vacancy" sign above the office door.

Entering the small lobby with its faded decor and generic landscape painting gracing one wall.

Roger rang for service while Freya loomed over him, a pall of gloom hanging over her. Moments later, the door behind the counter opened and a mature bottle blonde with cigarette dangling from her well lipsticked mouth stepped behind the small counter.

She smiled at Roger and briefly gaped at Freya's seven foot tall frame.

Roger said politely, "We need a room for the night, anything'll do."

She took her eyes off of Freya and focused them on him, taking a drag on her cancer stick, she exhaled through her well powdered nose and replied, "We only have a single left, hon." Stealing another glance at Freya she commented, "I don't think the bed is long enough though."

Roger laid his credit card on the worn Formica counter and said quietly, "We'll make adjustments, we always do."

She smiled at him, slid his card through the reader and while waiting for the slip to print up said, "I'm sure you do, with her standing out the way she does. Me, I like being invisible."

Roger signed the slip, took the keys and said cheerfully, "Well, I appreciate you, you saved us a night spent in an airplane cabin. That's gotta count for something!"

She grinned back, winked at him and said, "Glad I could help. By the way, the diner opens at six and the coffee is good!"

Roger chuckled and replied, "We'll be there...See you then!"

The room was little different than the lobby with equally faded furnishings and generic artwork hung on the wall.

Entertainment consisted of an ancient TV sitting on top of the dresser and a clock radio.

Roger fumbled around with the radio to set the alarm for six A.M. and turned around to see Freya standing in the bathroom staring at the shower stall.

It clearly was not made with her in mind, the spray nozzle was mounted at about chest height on Roger which meant that Freya's stomach and lower extremities would get nicely rinsed while the rest stayed dry.

She muttered glumly, "May as well take me shower a'squattin' like I'm oan th' toilet!"

She shrugged and began undressing while Roger occupied himself with turning down the bedding and wondering how they were going to work their sleeping arrangements.

Ordinarily, they used double occupancy rooms with separate beds, tonight was the exception.

Roger caught a glimpse of Freya's bare bottom as she stepped into the barely adequate shower stall with a metal stool in hand, she sat on the stool and adjusted the water to her liking and began scrubbing.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom with a towel barely covering her towering frame.

She stepped aside to let Roger enter the shower himself to wash the day's grime off his weary body.

When he emerged from the shower after toweling himself off, she was already under the inadequate covers and fast asleep, her long frame really taxed the bed's capacity and her feet stuck out from under the covers as usual.

He changed into fresh underwear and a tee shirt, his usual sleeping attire.

He lifted a corner of the blanket and slipped into the now, very cozy bed alongside his giant young companion, as he'd come to think of her now.

The insistent chiming of the alarm roused them from their slumber and they realized that they had snuggled together in their sleep, and were now facing each other very closely.

Roger flushed slightly and disentangled himself from her long limbs to shut off the ear piercing racket from the clock radio.

Smacking his dried lips, he mumbled "G'morning." as he entered the bathroom to relieve himself and wash up a bit.

Minutes later, Freya came into the bathroom wearing only a tee shirt and panties, which she pulled down as she sat down on the toilet while he finished his morning ablutions, and left the small bathroom to his seven foot tall companion's devices.

Entering the small diner, the scent of fresh coffee welcomed them as their hostess from the night before greeted them with a cheery smile.

"Coffee?" She asked as Roger held up two fingers and they slipped into a booth with Freya sitting a bit sideways to accomodate her long legs.

Like the lobby and the room, the diner also had faded furnishings with a large landscape painting of a mountain lake hanging on the largest wall.

Placing two generous cups before them, she filled them while saying, "Hi hon, what'll you have?"

After a brief sip of his coffee Roger replied, "I'd just like a couple of scrambled eggs, some corned beef hash and some rye toast. Please."

She grinned at him, revealing a gold tooth he hadn't noticed before, turned and called out, "Two scrambled, hash and rye toast, please!"

The unseen cook replied, "Gotcha!"

She smiled at Freya who smiled back shyly and said, "I'll just have what he ordered, but wi' some oatmeal oan th' side."

The woman grinned again and hollered, "Same as before, with oatmeal!" again, a resounding "Gotcha!" was heard from the unseen cook.

She smiled at them and held up a coffee pot as she said, "It'll be a few minutes...Freshen up your coffee?"

Freya held up her cup and smiled as the bottle blonde waitress with a bit too much makup topped up her coffee with a smile.

A few minutes later, she returned with a couple of plates and a bowl all delicately balanced on a fleshy arm, their order had arrived.

Setting the dishes before them, she smiled as they thanked her and began tucking into their breakfasts.

After only a couple of bites, Roger said with a toothy grin, "This is really good! Your cook really knows his way around a kitchen."

She grinned at him and said, "My husband will appreciate your comments."

She turned and hollered once more, "Hey honey! They like your cookin'!"

The still unseen cook hollered back, "Glad you like it!"

She smiled wistfully and remarked as an aside, "When we're at home, I do all the cooking, can't even get him to boil water!"

Roger just laughed and replied, "Kinda like the auto mechanic with the beat up old car or the plumber with the leaky faucet...They do it all day long at work and don't even want to hear about it when they're at home."

The two of them were nearly done eating when the young man they'd met the night before came waltzing in and sat at the small counter.

After the waitress set a full coffee cup before him, he turned around and announced cheerfully, "Your bird is all fueled up, it took two quarts of oil and it's ready to fly!"

Roger smiled at him and said, "That's great, thanks! Now where do I pay up? I know this isn't a charity here."

He grinned at him and replied, "You can pay here if you like?"

The waitress topped off his coffee and asked, "You got time for a decent breakfast, son?" The young man smiled at her and said happily, "I do now!"

Roger chuckled and said, "We'll just tally it all up and pay it right here then."

As the woman tallied up the bill, Roger commented, "It's like a one stop operation here, food, fuel and a place to crash!"

She chuckled and laid the slip on the table before him saying, "This airport's been in the family for about fifty years now, we'll never be rich, but we're not askin' for handouts either."

After he signed the slip and she gave him his copy, she asked, "So, where're you folks headin'?"

Roger tucked the slip into his wallet and replied, "Ape Lake"

The woman broke into a big grin and exclaimed to Freya, "Then you must be one of them giants that live in th' forest around there!"

Freya flushed slightly as the woman smiled brightly at her and asked, "Would you mind if we took a picture of you with us, so's we can hang it on the wall?"

Freya smiled shyly at her and said, "Okay".

Moments later, a camera was thrust into Roger's hands as the family lined up against the diner wall with Freya standing in the middle, easily towering over all of them at seven feet tall.

After taking several photos just to make sure at least one of them was good, Roger handed the camera back to the husband and asked, "How long have you known about the giants?"

The husband grinned and replied, "My grampa's seen a couple of 'em while out huntin' and my dad bumped into one once while out in th' woods.

I thought I saw one once while campin' up at the lake fishin'."

Roger laughed and replied with a grin, " That sure sounds familiar! That's how Freya and I met, I was fishing at the lake that same way."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The waitress smiled at her and asked gently, "How old are you dearie?"

Freya replied, "I'm almost twelve summers."

The woman chuckled and said, "Well, we'll have to make this old place much bigger if you make stopping by here a regular thing!"

Roger smiled and remarked, "We could make this a refueling stop on our way to Ape Lake, though I'm not sure if your facilities here could handle a Martin Mariner PBM5-A."

The young man grinned and said, "We had a couple of CL-215's here last summer during fire season, they were out practicing water drops using the lake as a water source. If our airport could handle a CL-215, it might be able to handle a Martin Mariner."

Roger smiled at him and said, "That's good to hear!"

They retrieved their bags and walked to the Cessna parked alongside the flightline.

After a quick preflight fluids and controls check, Roger heaved on the propeller a few times to clear the bottom cylinders in case any oil had settled in them overnight.

The engine caught on the first try and after coughing a bit to clear its cylinders, was soon running at a fast idle while Roger checked over the instruments and made ready to enter the runway.

During this, he chuckled to himself and when Freya asked, "Tis somethin' funny?"

He replied, "Here I thought you guys were a hidden people, it turns out you're more like an open secret around here.

Your neighbors knew of you but chose to keep quiet about it. 'No sense tellin' th' gummint' seems to be the prevailing attitude around here." Freya could only shrug in reply.

The flight itself was more like a hop, skip and a jump from the airport and soon Roger was easing the Cessna 195 businessliner with floats onto the placid surface of Ape Lake and taxiing closer to the rocky shore.

A small group of very large people emerged from the forest and gathered near the Cessna looking it over curiously.

Roger stepped out onto the float on his side of the plane and tossed a mooring line to Sigurd, Freya's enormous father.

He easily caught the line and pulled the Cessna closer to shore to tie it off to a big chunk of driftwood by the shore.

A few moments later and Roger stood quietly watching while Sigurd embraced his daughter and they had a good cry.

He mused about how Sigurd for all his size, was a very tender hearted, gentle man underneath his great height and enormous frame that weighed nearly eight hundred pounds, the bulk of it solid muscle.

This giant of a man was softly weeping as he held his only daughter and comforted her too. Freya, as big as she was, seemed like a small child by comparison.

Sigurd smiled at Roger through his reddish thicket of a beard and said, "Me thenks t'ye fur bringin' me yoongest bairn haem sae quickly!"

Roger smiled at him and replied, "You're very welcome. I hope you don't mind if I brought a few things, to help with the memorial feast as my way of exressing my condolences."

Sigurd smiled and replied, "Ye did'na huv tae, but me guidwife will 'preciate whate'er ye brooght."

Olaf and Leif, two of Freya's older brothers helped Roger empty to the Cessna of its precious cargo, which was loaded onto a hand cart.

Sigurd nodded his approval of the four cases of Guinness Extra Stout Roger had brought with him and commented, "Och! Me ooncle will enjoy thes!"

Roger chuckled and commented, "There's 96 bottles there, I would like at least one of them!"

Sigurd winked at him and said merrily, "I cannae guarantee tha' yoo'll get one once we get back tae haem, better drink et naow!"

They paused to open a few bottles and handed them around, even Freya got one and after a moment of reflection and a brief interruption when Roger deliberately spilled a small amount of his beer and said, "First sip goes to the those who went before us, for they are thirsty."

Sigurd and the others followed suit and they all partook in the malty beverage from Ireland.

Stashing the empties where they could be retrieved later, they set out for the small dell hiding the village of the giants.

The dell lay snuggled against the deeply forested, mighty shoulders of Ape mountain and before long, even though Roger kept himself in shape.

He still struggled to keep up with his giant hosts, even with Freya holding his hand and sometimes pulling him along, he still lagged behind at times.

The long uphill slog from the lake really tired him out and when they crested the rise and the trail leveled out he felt much better, then it was a matter of keeping up.

He knew they were almost there when they were greeted by the small pack of guardian wolves and he got a thorough going over by the pony sized alpha pair. The rest of the pack simply said, "Hello!" in their own lupine way.

Gudrun and her older sister, Barbara greeted them warmly and after enveloping him in one of her immense hugs she said, "Ye did'na huv tae brin' enythin', yoor're uir guest, ye ken?"

Roger smiled at his gigantic hostess and said, "I figured you might like some potatoes and some yams to feed the guests at the repast, and I know Old Harald will get mighty thirsty while eulogizing Induna."

Gudrun glanced over at her aged though still hale, uncle who was contemplating the cases of Guinness before him.

He raised one great, graying eyebrow and rumbled, "There's fife bottles missin'!"

Sigurd laughed and replied, "I see ye can still coont! We wanted tae make sure th' swally was acceptable!"

Old Harald grinned, reached himself a bottle and popped the cap off with ease.

He stook a long sip off the bottle and grinned, "Thes is verra guid, I like et!"

Roger and Freya put their bags in her old room and prepared to see Induna.

They went to pay their respects to Induna as she lay in her cabin, under her shroud.

Curled up at her feet was Astrid, the former alpha female wolf and long time lupine companion to Induna.

As they entered the cottage, Astrid struggled to rise and greet them until Freya knelt down beside her and wrapped her arms around the aged wolf's great graying head.

Roger stood there with mixed emotions as Freya wept while Astrid licked her hands.

The old wolf looked at them with unseeing eyes, as cataracts had robbed her of her sight while age had robbed her of her strength.

Freya rose to her feet and Roger reached down to scratch Astrid's ears while Freya paid her respects to Induna.

Astrid gave his hand an appreciative lick as Freya spoke softly to Induna's recumbent form and he scratched her great jawline causing her to grin like an immense collie.

Leaving the cottage, they walked briskly back to her parent's house to prepare for the evening's events.

Striding purposefully along, Freya acknowledged graciously the other giants' offerings of condolences and help, while Roger barely kept up with her pace.

Seeing Sigurd and two of his sons working on setting up a couple of bonfires for the evening, Roger fell in with them to help.

While carefully arranging the wood, Sigurd commented to him, "I see yoo've dain thes afore!"

He grinned at his gigantic host and replied, "I've helped her with a couple of winter solstice feasts since she came to live with me. Plus, I've built a few fires in my time!"

Sigurd smiled at him and remarked, "Yoo'll make a guid guidman someday."

He laughed and replied, "Sigurd, I've been married twice, both of them ended up in disaster. Marriage is not for me I'm afraid."

Sigurd merely shrugged and on him, it resembled a mountain heaving its mighty shoulders, and replied, "Ye just huvnae mit th' reit hen yit!"

Roger just grinned and continued arranging the sticks for the fire.

That evening, the bonfires crackled merrily while the gathered Jotuns celebrated the life of Induna Hagridsdottir.

Her oldest daughter, Barbara Olafsdottir now wore the dark robes of the crone as Gudrun wore the forest colored robes of the matron and Freya now wore the white robes of the maiden of youth.

Roger was truck by how beautiful she was becoming .

To him, she was this towering young goddess, a tall willowy girl, her budding flowers about to bloom with great beauty to come.

He felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart palpitate.

His closed his eyes tightly and shook his head to clear it of those intrusive thoughts, now was not the time to think of such things!

He sat beside her and ate quietly, his digital recorder discreetly capturing everything it heard.

He felt a slight twinge of guilt about not asking, but felt the language spoken and the stories told, needed to be recorded.

He would ask for forgiveness later.

The bonfires slowly died down until only the glowing embers gave their soft light.

All around him the giants sat in silent reflection, each alone in their thoughts while united in sorrow.

Couples sat closer together, parents held their children with the youngest ones either nursing at their mother's breast or perched on a lap.

Freya sat beside him, too big now to sit on her mother's lap or perch on her father's knee. She was at that odd age where she was on the cusp of womanhood, yet too young to marry or declare her heart's desire.

Freya sighed and leaned against Roger, the now much smaller companion she lived with and had hidden feelings for.

At midnight, Barbara, Gudrun and Freya stood in a small circle with hands clasped.

They represented the three aspects of the white goddess, birth and youth with hopes for the future.

Maturity and motherhood and family with hopes for the present and finally, old age and infirmity with a longing for a peaceful death.

They began to sing in an ancient language now nearly forgotten, the language of old Jotunheim.

Freya's sweet voice sang brightly of hopes and dreams of love and a good life.

Gudrun's warm voice sang of maturity and responsibility and hopes for a better life. Barbara's deeper voice sang of gratitude for a life well lived and acceptance of death and its promise of eternal rest.

Having finshed singing the trio fell silent and stood with heads bowed in reverence.

The only sounds were a faint crackle from the glowing embers and the soughing of the air through the great pines surrounding the dell.

Roger slowly became aware of a small presence next to him, looking down he saw a tiny humanoid face with large eyes looking up at him.

He blinked and shook his head wondering if the ale was affecting his vision.

The tiny creature was still there with a smile on its pretty face.

Not sure of what to do or say and not wanting to break the silence, he offered it a bit of food from his platter.

With perfect little hands it selected a few morsels from his platter and popped them one by one into its pretty little mouth.

After a few moments, it smiled at him, curtsied and scampered away into the darkness.

Leaving Roger to wonder if he had really seen what he belatedly realized, was a perfectly formed tiny female of her species.

Whatever she was.

He was still pondering what he had seen when Freya rejoined him.

It was very late, the memorial was over, Induna would be laid to rest in the morning and the after feast would take place in the late afternoon.

Roger decided he would mention his tiny visitor later on, with a twinge of regret he realized that Induna would have known of the tiny being he'd seen and shared food with.

The Jotuns silently left the gathering to return to their homes, leaving the dimly glowing bed of coals to burn itself out.

Freya took his hand and they followed her enormous parents and remaining brothers home.

Roger had changed into his sleeping attire and was sitting quietly while Freya also changed, she was about to blow out the candles when she looked at him curiously and asked,"Is somethin' amiss? Yoo've been verra quiet since th' fire died doon."

He smiled at his giant companion and replied, "Tonight, after you three had finished singing and we were reflecting on Induna's passing. I saw a small creature like a tiny woman I think, at least she had all the right bits."

Freya asked only one question, "Did ye feed 'er?"

Roger nodded a 'yes' and she commented, "Ye likely fed a wuid guidwife an' she may attach herself tae ye."

Roger looked at her and said curiosly, "And?"

Freya smiled and replied, "If a wuid guidwife attaches herself tae a man, it's for life."

Freya looked thoughtful and muttered, "If we dornt see 'er afore we lae for haem, it may be aw reit."

She fell silent and said glumly, "Me granny would've knoon what tae dae."

Freya suddenly grinned wickedly, a look he'd never seen her have before.

With a gleam in her bright blue eyes she said firmly, "Sleep wi' me!"

At his baffled expression, she elaborated,"If ye sleep wi' me uir scents will mingle while we sleep. Wuid wives hae verra guid noses an' she'll smell uir mingled scent. Me folks willnae notice, but she will!"

Roger asked, "Do you think this'll work? Couldn't I just explain why I can't take her with me and apologize?"

Freya could only shrug and remark, "I cannae say it will work, I ne'er heard of a wuid guidwife approaching a wee man afore."

Roger muttered, "Two years ago, no one ever heard of a Jotun girl living with a 'wee man' before either. Yet it's worked so far."

She grinned at him and peeled off her nightshirt, revealing her budding breasts and long, lithe limbs.

She slipped under her blankets, beckoned to him and said firmly, "Come an' sleep wi' me an' we'll see if it helps."

The look in her eyes left no room for arguments.

Reluctantly, he stepped over to her bed to lie down, when she said quietly, "Tak' aff yer nightshirt, otherwise uir scents cannae mingle."

Seeing how serious she was, Roger sighed and reluctantly peeled off his nightshirt, wearing only his underwear now, he lay down beside his seven-foot tall, youthful companion.

She blew out the candles, leaving only the fat night candle casting its soft glow over their forms as they adjusted to their new sleeping arrangements.

The next morning couldn't come soon enough for Roger, sleeping in such close proximity with a nearly nude Freya had not been restful.

He had struggled valiantly to keep a small distance between them while she had snuggled against him and made him keenly aware of her developing body.

The arrangement had left him feeling exhausted rather than refreshed.

She, on the other hand, positively glowed with happiness at having spent the night with him while practically in the nude.

A bath and a good breakfast helped clear the cobwebs and he was ready for the next thing, Induna's funeral.

The procession left Induna's cottage where she had lain on her funerary bier.

Four men carried the funerary bier while the family followed close behind, immediately behind her walked Astrid, her great lupine companion in her old age.

Astrid walked slowly and painfully, struggling to keep pace, yet refusing all help.

She would accompany Induna no matter what.

Alongside the small procession, the rest of the guardian pack walked in solidarity with Astrid, the one time alpha female of the pack.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

They walked slowly for several miles into the deep forest, stopping occasionally to allow Astrid to catch her breath.

They eventually came to a small meadow where several large bears were sunning themselves as they lolled about on the dry grass.

The procession stopped at the edge of the meadow, where Sigurd and two of his sons took over carrying the funerary bier.

While the bears looked on curiously, they proceeded out onto the meadow with an exhausted Astrid limping behind.

The rest stood silently while Induna's naked body was gently laid on the dry grass and Astrid with her last strength, curled up alongside her and went to sleep.

The small procession returned, their sad mission completed.

Induna would soon be joined with her ancestors in the traditional Jotun manner and Astrid would accompany her into the great beyond.

Seeing the bears begin sniffing at the two bodies, the Jotuns and their great wolves turned away and started back to their small hamlet.

With their hands clasped, Roger walked alongside Freya, silently pondering what he had seen.

He recalled a conversation with Induna, where she had remarked about the dead being given to the great bear spirit of the northlands.

He now knew the method of delivery and at the same time realized why no Jotun burials or remains had ever been found.

The great bear spirit had eaten them through his mortal representatives, the great bears of the northlands.

It was nearly dark and they were nearly home when Freya spoke, "Tomorrow nicht, we will hae a feest tae say guidbye tae Induna. Then we will gang back haem tae Portland."

She smiled at him and said very softly, "An' hopefully, yer wee wuid guidwife friend willnae show up!"

Roger glanced over at something that had moved out of the corner of his right eye, he saw the tiny woman from the night before riding on one of the great wolves as if it were a horse.

The great gray wolf walked along as if carrying a two foot tall, blonde haired, humanoid female was the most natural thing to do.

She smiled at him even though he was plainly holding Freya's hand.

Roger murmured softly to Freya, "Don't look now, we've got company."

He looked around to see if he was the only one who had seen her while he heard Freya mutter, "Perhaps she cannae smell uir mingled scents?"

"Or perhaps she doesn't care if we're together?" replied Roger.

He thought a moment and asked, "So you can see her?" "Of coorse I can see 'er, I'm nae blin' ye ken!" replied Freya a bit curtly.

Roger squeezed her hand a bit sharply and muttered, "No reason to be shitty about it, I was just curious you know!"

Freya squeezed his hand gently and murmured, "Sorry."

Entering the dell again Roger saw that lanterns had been hung from the trees and places had been set out for everybody at the long tables, it had been a long day and not having eaten since that morning, he was very hungry.

The wolf and its tiny rider remained close by while the Jotuns seemed to take no notice of the pairing which led Roger to comment, "I get the impression that these wood wives, as you call them, come here often, how come I never saw any of them before?"

Freya shrugged and replied, "Mebbe they finally allowed ye tae see 'em."

He chuckled and replied, "I guess they decided I was okay after all."

She squeezed his hand and said, "They've seen ye here afore an' ye uir accepted by th' wolves."

Impulsively she kissed him on his forehead, "An' yoo're livin' wi' me!"

He laughed and merrily replied "And don't you forget it!"

After washing up and finding themselves seats at her parents table.

Roger was about to hoist his foaming jack of ale and take a sup when again, he felt a small tug on his sleeve.

His tiny 'friend' had joined him and was sitting beside him on the bench.

She smiled up at him and rubbed her tiny tummy to show she was hungry too.

Freya at this time, noticed that he was looking down at something beside him and she asked, "What ur ye lookin' at?"

When he leaned back and she saw the tiny wood wife sitting there, she squawked, "What ur ye daein' here, ye wee scamp?" and reached across him.

Roger quickly grabbed her arm and said firmly, "Stop! She means no harm, what's the matter with you? Look at how tiny she is, what harm could she do to me?"

Freya glared at him and hotly replied, "I dornt want 'er attachin' herself tae ye, coz yoo'll hae tae tak 'er wi' us!"

Gudrun overheard this and asked, "What is gonnae oan here? Why ur ye arguin' at me table?"

Freya pointed at the little wood wife and declared, "Roger wants tae feed 'er!"

Gudrun squinted at the tiny woman and said pleasantly, "Och, hello Dena, care fur some of uir food?"

The tiny creature nodded very enthusiastically and Gudrun chuckled, "Feel free tae help yerself!" she replied.

Freya gaped and blurted out, "Mom, ye ken 'er?"

Gudrun smiled at her daughter and replied gently, "Of coorse I ken 'er, she helped yer grandmother keep 'er hoose clean!"

Roger at this point, lifted Dena from the bench and set her on the table beside his platter of food.

He took up his knife and cut the meat into bite sized chunks for her to eat.

She grinned hugely, clapped her tiny hands happily and sat down in a cross legged position to eat beside him.

Roger then reached over, slipped his arms around Freya and said softly, "You're still my favorite girl you know!"

Freya hugged him back and all was well between them.

Afterwards Freya pondered Gudrun's comments about Dena the wood wife and had mixed feelings about being left out.

"Why didnae anyain tell me? I wouldnae hae behaved as I did had I knoon." she asked.

Gudrun smiled at her and replied gently,"We thooght ye ken about 'er. Induna relied oan 'er fur a lot of things an' she cam an' tauld us when she died. It's nae yer fault, we assumed ye kent."

Freya looked at the tiny girl sitting cross legged on the table across from Roger and said quietly,"I am sorry fur me behaviur, I didna ken ye were helpin' me granny an' I apologize."

Dena rose to her feet and stood in front of Freya with a big smile, she opened her arms wide and Freya engulfed her in her own arms.

A miniature girl getting hugged by a giantess was quite a sight to see, thought Roger as he looked on.

The next morning Roger woke in a tangle of limbs.

Freya had insisted he sleep with her the night before and somehow, tiny Dena got mixed into the equation because she had gotten into his ale and it had gone straight to her tiny head.

The result was one tipsy wood wife that got carried to bed by Freya, her newest best friend. he little elf girl had been gently tucked into Roger's bed while he and Freya slept in hers.

At some point during the night, Roger had felt a tiny form burrowing in between him and Freya.

Disentangling himself, Roger sat up carefully and looked at the tiny form beside him.

Dena was quite naked and obviously female, an adult female as her breasts and pubic regions attested.

In an oddly detached way he looked her over, in spite of her diminutive size she was normally proportioned and would have an athletic build if human sized.

Her size and her clearly pointed ears gave hints to her wood elf status.

Freya lying next to her seemed impossibly huge by comparison, she was just over seven feet tall now and showed no signs of slowing down in her growth patterns.

He yawned and stretched before swinging his legs out of bed to stand up and his bare feet encountered a large, warm, furry body.

Blinking in surprise he looked to see that Sasha, one of the giant wolves was also sleeping in Freya's bedroom.

Sasha raised her great gray head and regarded him silently while he dressed, picked up his shaving kit and slipped out of the somewhat crowded bedroom.

Freya and Dena remained asleep while he toddled into the bathroom to wash up a bit before breakfast.

Olaf, Freya's third older brother was still in there finishing up his morning ablutions.

He was nearly full grown now and nearing the age where he would seek out a bride.

Roger couldn't help feeling like a child next to Olaf's massive frame, like his father, he was a big, strong young man towering over Roger at ten feet tall.

Olaf smiled at him and asked in his basso profundo of a voice, "An' how is yer heed thes morn?"

Roger chuckled and replied, "A lot better off than Freya's or Dena's will be once they wake up!"

Olaf chuckled and replied, "Aye, I've ne'er seen me sister blooter'd afore, an' fa kent a wuid guidwife woods like ale?"

Roger shrugged while lathering up his face prior to shaving and commented, "Freya did take it pretty hard when Induna died, she cried pretty much the whole time we were flying up here."

Taking the first of many strokes with his razor, "I guess getting snockered was something she needed to do."

He noticed Olaf's grin while he was shaving and said, "What? Never seen a man shaving before?"

Olaf chuckled and replied, "Cannae say I hae, it seems like a bortha tae me."

Roger laughed and retorted, "I have a scraggly beard, it looks like shit and would be an insult to bearded men everywhere, so I shave!"

The two men finished washing up and headed into the kitchen to get something to eat. Gudrun smiled at them and said, "It's nearly lunch time, woods ye, like tha' insteid?"

Roger simply shrugged and replied, "I'm fine with waiting a little bit. You might want to brew up some of that hangover tea you make, I think Freya's gonna need some!"

Gudrun smiled and said, "She had a reit tae bevvy like she did lest nicht, she an' me mammy waur close."

"Apparently." remarked Roger, "We've had a couple of winter solstice cermonies back home and she would do the whole 'three aspects of the goddess' thing from memory.

She even got one of her friends' grandmother and mother to be the crone and the matron during the ceremony."

Gudrun smiled slightly and remarked, "She always did loove tae hear 'er granny teel th' stories of th' auld days.

She reads an' speaks th' auld tongue far better than I dae."

Olaf who had put together an impressive sandwich from some cold meat left overs said simply,"Freya was always readin' th' auld books an' scrolls, while me brothers an' I waur wantin' tae gang play."

Roger grinned and commented, "She does take her school work pretty seriously, she's always among the top ten students of her school in her grades."

Gudrun beamed with pride and she said happily, "That's part of th' reason why we asked ye tae tak' 'er wi' ye. She's too smart tae bide in thes village an' woods dae better in th' ootside warld."

"So what happens now with all of her stuff, Induna's I mean?

I know this is probably not the time to be asking this I know, but she did have quite a library and there is an awful lot of lore hiding in those scrolls and books.

If nothing else, I'd like to scan many of them so we can study them." asked Roger.

Gudrun shrugged and replied,"I cannae rightly say myself, Barbara an' I need tae look o'er 'er things an' see if she left onie word oan what tae dae wi' 'er things."

"Gie all th' books an' scrolls tae Freya, she can reid them easily." remarked Olaf.

Gie what tae Freya?" came a voice from the hallway outside of the kitchen.

They looked to see an obviously hung over Freya and a miserable looking wood wife named Dena with her giant lupine companion, Sasha looming over her, all standing in the doorway.

Roger smiled and said lightly, "May I introduce to you the Misses 'Death warmed over' and their giant wolf' Sasha!"

Gudrun smiled at her youngest child and filled a mug with a warm liquid she had brewed up for the occasion.

She filled a much smaller mug also with the liquid and set both of them on the kitchen table. "Here, bevvy thes fur th' headache, an' woods ye like somethin' tae eat?"

Freya groaned and slid onto the bench, while tiny Dena climbed up alongside her.

The two picked up their mugs and took a long drink of the warm liquid before saying another word.

Setting her mug down Freya, grimaced as the strong tasting herbal brew worked wonders. "Ugh!" she said, sticking her tongue out, "Why's it taste sae strongly?"

Gudrun smiled at her daughter and said soothingly, "Coz it's medicine hen. It's nae supposed tae taste guid."

"Thenks mom, I needed sarcasm alang wi' me hangowre." grumbled a not quite ready to face the world, Freya.

A short time later Gudrun laid out a meal for them and gave a large bone to Sasha who happily began gnawing on the heavy limb bone.

Her incredibly powerful jaws crushing and splintering the bone with ease while Roger marveled at her size, he commented drily, "My neighbors would flip if they saw her."

"Why?" asked Olaf.

Roger smiled at him and said, "Wolves like her don't exist anywhere but here. She's more than twice the size of our largest dog breeds and would be considered a dangerous animal."

He gestured at her and said, "Look at how easily she's demolishing that bone, that is one hell of a bite force she has!"

He grinned at Olaf and remarked, "Freya by herself has created a minor sensation.

We've told people she is a Jotun, but they're not taking it real seriously because there are still taller humans out there, once she's grown taller than even our tallest individuals...Who knows how they'll react?"

Olaf frowned slightly and asked, "Hoo dae ye thenk fowks will react when she gits e'en taller?"

He thought a bit more and asked, "Jist hoo tall can ye wee folk gie?"

Roger thought for a moment and replied, "Seven foot tall basket ball players aren't all that unusual these days and there are several individuals over eight feet tall.

The tallest man ever, was just under nine feet tall, but he needed leg braces just to stand up.

Freya is so much bigger than her school mates that she plays basket ball and volley ball with the senior women's teams at our local university.

Those ladies are all well over six feet tall and strong to boot, so she does get a thumping now and then."

Olaf grinned at his younger sister and commented drily, "Guid, she needs a wee humility noo an' again!"

Freya merely stuck out her tongue at him in reply.

Having recovered her composure Freya asked, "Now what waur ye talkin' abit givin' tae me?"

Olaf shrugged and replied, "I mentioned givin' ye all of granny's books an' scrolls coz yoo're the one who can reid them."

Freya was about to reply when Roger interjected, "Perhaps this should be discussed when all of the family is present, that way everyone gets a say in this."

Olaf merely shrugged and remarked, "I see wee reason tae change me min', Freya has always taken 'er learnin' mair serioosly than I did."

Gudrun who had sat quietly listening spoke up, "Roger is reit, we shoods wait until we ur all gaithered tae discuss thes. Like me son, I think it shoods gang tae Freya."

Roger said quietly, "It's not like we could haul it all away, the floatplane I borrowed can only carry a few hundred pounds of cargo and I think her library is bigger than that."

He looked over at Freya and said, "We can take a few small items like a keepsake or something, but the family does need to discuss this as a family."

He squeezed her hand and continued, "We'll look through some of her things this afternoon if you'd like."

Freya smiled at him weakly and muttered, "I'm nae really ready tae gang ben me granny's things. Nae wi' 'er sae recently deid an' gain like she is."

Roger glanced over at Dena the wood wife, she was sitting in a cross legged position near Freya and listening to the discussion while eating her meal and occasionally sipping at her own little mug.

She smiled brightly at him, looking for all the world like a doll come to life.

Naturally he smiled back at her, she was a little cutie he admitted to himself.

Taking his eyes off of her, he asked Gudrun, "What about her and Sasha? Weren't they living with Induna?"

Gudrun smiled and replied, "Och aye they lived wi' 'er an' took care o' 'er an' Astrid. Dena cooked an' cleaned whilst Sasha guarded them all."

"So what happens to them now?"

"A wuid guidwife an' a guardian wolf will attach themselves tae a new hoosehauld if they ur welcomed thaur. They'll be fine, yoo'll see!"

Roger chuckled softly and muttered half to himself, "I'll bet she would look amazing in some of those doll clothes I've seen for sale. They're just her size and cost like the dickens!"

Freya looked at him oddly and said in surprise, "They makes fine clase fur 'er? Yoo've ne'er mentioned 'em afore!"

He grinned at his ever growing companion and replied, "I never mentioned them because, I did not know little cuties like Dena existed. I wonder if she is related to the little creatures that untied my net bag and ate all of the berries I'd picked?"

Freya smiled and remarked with a twinkle in her eye, "I'd forgotten about 'at. Ye did hae quite th' look in yer eye!"

Roger shrugged and remarked, "You would have a look in your eye too, if you'd been looking forward to eating something other than an energy bar, only to find someone had eaten your berries."

Gudrun said softly, "Ye seem tae like uir wee Dena, ye dae realize tha' she an' Sasha hae a bond atween them an' a body goes whaur th' other a body wills?"

He smiled slightly and remarked, "I admit I do like her and if I had a place suitable for her and Sasha, I'd be working on how to get them both back to Portland, Oregon."

"Jist why isnae yer place suitable fur Sasha an' Dena?" asked Olaf.

"It's not the size of the house. Hell, the whole house has twelve foot high ceilings and sits on a two acre lot right up against a large parcel of woodland of about twenty-five acres..."

Roger suddenly grinned and exclaimed happily, "I have an idea...Let me go make a call or two, we may have a solution!"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Once outside the stony slope the house of Sigurd and Gudrun was tunneled into.

Roger called Rachel..."Hello? Roger? What's up, how did the funeral go?" she asked. "Funeral went well, we gave her a good send off and everyone is still hung over a bit." he cheerfully replied.

Getting down to business Roger asked, "Could you check on a large property right behind the house and see if it might be available?"

"I can do that, why do you ask?" replied Rachel.

"I've met a couple of very interesting people and that land would come in mighty handy." he replied.

"Okay, I'll bite...What are you up to?" asked his ever so patient boss, Rachel Thompson.

"What I'm up to, is finding a suitable home for a wood wife and her giant lupine companion. The house is plenty big, but they need a place to roam and twenty-five acres ought to be big enough." Enthused Roger with a boyish grin.

"Wood wife? Giant lupine companion? What have you found this time?" asked a suddenly cautious Rachel.

Roger grinned at the phone and he said happily, "Give a me a couple of minutes here and I'll show you!".

Quickly scrolling through his photos, he found the image he was seeking, it was a picture of Freya sitting on a bench as she brushed out Sasha's luxurious tail while Dena sat next to her and watched.

Hitting 'send' he sent the image on its way and waited a few moments... "Holy Crap! That's a wolf?! And who's that little girl next to Freya?" issued suddenly from his satellite phone.

Roger put it back to his ear and asked innocently, "Well? Whaddaya think?"

"I think they're amazing and how come we didn't see them before?"

"You'll have to ask them I'm afraid, I only recently saw them myself for the first time. Apparently, the little woman attached herself to Induna and the wolf bonded with her as well." replied Roger.

"Okay, so you're going to bring them down to Portland?" asked Rachel with a tinge of concern in her voice.

He smiled and said, "Nothing's been decided yet. The family's going have a meeting to decide on how to disperse Induna's effects.

There is talk of giving her library to Freya and I've already informed them of the limitations of the plane I borrowed, so I won't be loading it up with books and scrolls just yet."

"What about the girl and her wolf?" asked Rachel.

"That hasn't been decided yet, I just want to know if that land is available so I do have a bargaining chip."

Roger heard a big sigh coming from Rachel and she said, "Remind me to choke you the next time I see you!"

"Sorry..." he replied.

"I'll look into it but, I make no promises, are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Replied a grinning Roger Tate.

Resuming his seat Roger announced, "I spoke with my boss and she's going to look into a piece of land behind our house to see if it's for sale.

It's about twenty-five acres of unspoiled woodland that has a high fence around it. I can't make any promises, but we are looking into it."

He looked around at his audience of four people and a giant wolf, "I'll know more in a couple of days or so."

Olaf asked, "Ur thaur onie sort of buildings oan thes lain ye mentioned?" Roger shrugged and replied, "I haven't seen anything, though I know someone who might know."

With that, he looked pointedly at Freya who squirmed a little bit and replied testily, "I was only in thaur a wee while an' I didnae see much, it's bonnie thick in thaur an' gettin' aroond wasnae easy, e'en fur me!"

He grinned at her and said, "So you did climb that fence, I'd suspected as much."

Seeing the look of surprise on her face, he commented, "I'm not mad or anything, just don't be climbing over fences when you don't really know what's on the other side."

He grinned and said, "I did that once and got a real good thumping for my pains, what the dog didn't bite, the owner put lumps on. Not one of my brighter moves, that one."

Freya looked steadily at Roger and asked, "If ye can gie thes lain yoo're talkin' about, ur ye intendin' oan bringin' Dena an' Sasha tae bide wi' us?"

He smiled at her and replied carefully, "I am thinking about it. Although if they choose to stay here or if it will cause problems for us, I won't pursue it any further."

Roger smiled at the tiny girl sitting cross legged so prettily on the table while she nibbled on her food and he murmured, "I wish I knew what you are thinking about all of this."

Dena smiled at him, dabbed at her pretty mouth with her tiny napkin and in a voice that was more of a squeak than a speaking voice, she said, "Ah kin 'at ye ur thinkin' ay takin' me wi' ye when ye lae.

Sasha an' Ah ur boond together fur 'er lifetime, we main nae be separated.

We took caur ay Induna as she took caur ay us, 'er death ended 'at attachment and we main attach oorselves tae Gudrun if she wants us tae bide."

Freya burst out laughing at the look of astonishment on Roger's craggy face.

When he recovered his composure, he laughed and said to Dena's smiling face, "Well Dena, you certainly pulled a good one on me.

I wasn't sure if you could talk, now I know you can. Even if it cost me some of my tattered dignity to find out!"

Dena smiled and said, "Ye hae bin kin' tae me an' fed me, Sasha likes ye tay.

If th' quine ay yer hoose didne min' we woods gladly attach oorselves tae yer hoosehauld an' gang wi' ye."

Roger blinked a couple of times at her comment and without thinking, asked, "And who would be the queen of my household?"

Freya flushed a bright scarlet color and she blurted out hotly, "Ye great daft man! Hoo dae ye thenk is livin' wi' ye?" as she rose and stormed out of the kitchen.

Roger grimaced and facepalmed himself before saying grimly, "God, I can be so dense sometimes. I can't believe I just asked that stupid a question!"

Dena smiled and said gently, "She diz loove ye e'en if she willnae admit it."

He slumped down a bit and said softly, "You're not the first person to tell me that.

I was asked to take her with me originally because her parents sensed her attachment to me even though I was too dumb to see it. I sure didn't mean to hurt her feelings."

Gudrun at this point said quietly, "Her feelings ur strang an' she is confused by them. Gie 'er some time tae thenk abit things, she'll be fine."

Dena stood up to her full height, all two feet of it and said amiably, "Ah will gab tae 'er an' lit 'er decide if she wants us tae come wi' ye." she hopped off the high table and with Sasha's great lupine form right behind her, she left the kitchen to Roger, Gudrun and Olaf.

Olaf rose from the table and placed his dish in the sink, he turned to Roger and said,"Me sister can be bonnie dense herself sometimes. She knows 'at she is th' quine of yer hoose. Lit 'er cool doon a bit afore ye gab tae 'er."

Roger smiled at him and replied, "Thanks Olaf, her reaction kind of surprised me that's all. I've talked to many other women in her presence without that kind of reaction from her, so I was caught flat footed."

Gudrun commented, "Ye did show quite an interest in wee Dena an' wuid wives can bond fur life wi' someain if they like them. P'raps Freya felt ye showed too much interest in Dena?"

Roger smiled at his giant hostess weakly and replied earnestly, "I work for the Museum of Cryptozoology, I collect stories about legendary peoples and I look for the sources of the legends.

It's what I do.

Freya herself is a legendary person, she is a frost giant.

Although most people now think she's just an incredibly tall girl.

Seeing Dena brought out the scientist in me, the collector of stories and peoples.

I couldn't help being fascinated by her.

I'm sorry that Freya misunderstood my intentions."

"An' I'm sorry tae. I ken perfectly well what ye dae an' I ne'er shoods hae doobted ye. I'm just a silly lassie."

Roger looked over at the doorway to see Freya standing there with little Dena perched on her left shoulder and Sasha's great shaggy head peering around her tall, slender form.

Without hesitating, Roger stepped up to her and hugged her very closely while she also slipped her long arms around him.

For a long moment neither of them spoke, the lingering hug was their sole means of communicating.

Separating again, Roger looked up at his towering young companion and said, "Still best buds?"

She grinned and replied, "Of coorse we're still buds." he grinned at her and was about to say something when Dena said, "Whit abit me, arenae we friends noo?"

Roger smiled at the little doll of a girl and said with a wink, "Yeah, I suppose we could call you a friend now."

He reached down and scratched Sasha behind one of her ears, "And you too, Sasha!"

Her response was to nuzzle Roger's hand to ask for more, so he indulged her by digging both hands into her dense fur and giving her a really good rump scratching until Dena laughed and said, "Cannie noo, she'll want tae bond wi' ye. Unless that's part ay yer gam plan, gie in good wi' Sasha an' Ah come wi' 'er."

"It never crossed my mind." Replied Roger with a very obvious wink and a nudge to Freya.

Finishing up with Sasha, Roger said simply, " You are new to me and if you heard my earlier comments about what I do, you'll know that I want to study you and observe you and learn more about how you and your people are connected to the Jotuns."

He grinned and quipped, "And if we become good friends, then it's all to the better!"

He looked at Freya and said softly, "I already can't imagine life without this amazing girl being in it and adding you and Sasha to my circle of friends will be a lot of fun."

Freya gently took his hand and said, "I've changed me min' let's tak' a look in Induna's cottage thes efternuin, sae there will be less tae dae afore we have tae leave tomorrow afternoon."

Roger grinned at her and held up his satellite phone saying, "Not saying I don't trust anybody, but I want to take a few pictures of her things as they are, so we can get an idea of how many books and scrolls and odd papers she had."

Olaf chuckled and said, "Nae worries abit anyain takin' 'er library, Freya was th' book worm ay th' fowk."

Freya stuck her tongue out at her older brother and they left the house with Dena riding atop Sasha's great lupine form.

A short time later, they stood outside Induna's cottage, reflecting for a few moments before entering what had been her home for many years.

Freya muttered, "I'd hoped tae show 'er me high skale diploma efter I'd graduated. I wanted tae make 'er prood of me."

Dena said cheerfully, "She was huir uv prood ay ye. She talked abit whit ye waur daein' an' showed me th' letters yoo'd sent 'er. She kept every a body ay them in a box oan 'er desk."

Roger squeezed her hand and said, " Of course she was proud of you, you've done something no Jotun has done in centuries. Live among the 'wee folk' and make friends."

They held hands and stepped up to her cottage door, Freya slid the bolt aside and the stout door opened with a creak.

The interior was softly lit through the windows and Roger lit a couple of lamps while Freya opened up the curtains some more.

Roger began taking photos of the cluttered interior while Freya sat down at the desk and opened the box of letters she'd sent her grandmother.

Roger silently took photos and made mental notes of Induna's library that took up fully half of the cottage's interior.

Induna had essentially lived in a book case with the shelves groaning under the weight of many ancient volumes of lore.

He heard a soft sniffling sound behind him and he turned to see Freya holding tiny Dena while the two of them shared a good cry.

Sasha stood anxiously nearby, wanting to comfort her tiny companion and her master's granddaughter and all she could manage was a soft whine in her throat.

Not wanting to interfere, he continued taking photos of the books.

He laid several old maps out on the kitchen table and photographed them individually before putting back in their places.

Freya and Dena looked over the letters she had sent to Induna and occasionally wept softly.

Sitting in a small pocket on her desk was a letter addressed to Freya, it was from Induna. Freya looked it over for a few moments, then she began reading aloud, "Tae me precious granddaughter, Ah cannae teel ye hoo prood Ah am ay ye, ah fin' Ah lack th' words.

Ah fa hae lived by words mah whole life, am at a loss fur them noo.

Me time is drawin' tae an' end an' Ah fear Ah willnae be able tae advise ye fur much longer. Ah hae decided tae gie ye me library in th' hopes 'at within' its volumes ye will fin' the widom tae help ye in life.

Aw tay suin, ye will be declarin' yer hearts desire, at th' risk ay bein' thooght ay as a meddlin' auld hen.

Ah woods hope tha' ye choose tae declaur fur th' fine man ye ur livin' wi'.

He mauna be a Jotun, but he is true tae ye an' 'at is mair important than bluid lines.

Ah loove ye sae huir uv a much dearest Freya an' 'at will lest forever...Grandma."

When she was finished reading, she looked up from the letter with tears trickling from her bright blue eyes and in a voice thick with emotions, said, "I guess th' library is mine then, an' th' rest goes to th' family."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After closing and bolting Induna's cottage door, Freya reached out and took Roger's hand and the four of them walked back to her parent's house.

Once back inside, she showed the letter to her parents and brother Olaf.

Sigurd and Gudrun both studied it for a while and asked Olaf to go fetch Gudrun's sister, Barbara.

Shortly after that the kitchen was filled with the giant forms of Freya's parents and her auntie Barbara all sipping tea and looking at the letter from Induna.

Barbara finally set down her tea and said quietly, "Thes is bonnie clear, th' library goes tae Freya an' th' rest tae th' fowk."

"I agree" remarked Gudrun, "I see nae disputes haur. Freya was aye in 'er grandma's books why shooldnae she gie them?"

Roger said quietly, "I did notice that many items in her cottage had labels on them, perhaps the labels will have the recipient's name on them?"

Barbara asked him, "Did ye look at onie ay th' labels?" he replied, "No, not really. I was busy taking photographs of the books and the old maps. I just happened to notice that there were labels on some things."

Freya glanced at Roger and asked, "How lang dae we hae th' use of that airplane?"

He replied, "Five to seven days at most, after that we have to pay a rental fee.

We wouldn't be able to haul any real loads of books or even Dena and her friend Sasha in that small of a plane, it's too light for the load."

Freya knitted her brows in thought and said quietly, "We'll hae tae come back wi' a much bigger plane then. How lang afore that big plane ye an' Henri brooght back frae Brazil is flyable?"

"Several months at least, perhaps we can 'borrow' a big cargo helicopter like we did in Algeria." replied Roger.

"In the meantime, we can leave the books where they are, and I suppose Dena and Sasha can keep an eye on things for us until we can make the necessary arrangements to move them."

He glanced over and saw little Dena smiling happily, then she said in her squeak of a voice, "Ah woods be glad tae watch ower Induna's things. Ah'll keep everythin' in order, an' th' cottage ready tae be lived in."

Barbara smiled at the tiny wood wife and said, "That woods be verra kind ay ye wee one. Ye gae comfort tae uir mammy in 'er later years an' we uir verra grateful tae ye."

Roger woke the next morning, the family discussion about Induna's things had gone on long into the night and he had grown sleepy so he had excused himself.

The last he remembered was that they had pretty much decided to leave her library in place for the time being and divide up the personal effects she had left to the various members of the family.

He sat up in bed and realized that he was not alone.

Sasha's giant form was stretched out on the floor as she slept quite soundly.

Roger looked the enormous wolf over, she easily stood about four feet tall at the shoulders and had to weigh some four hundred pounds, spread out over her nearly ten foot long frame.

Rising from his bed, Roger carefully stepped over Sasha's giant lupine form and made his way past Freya and Dena as they slept like babies in her bed.

He found his way into the kitchen and Gudrun greeted him with a smile and a cheery, "Guid morrow, woods ye like some breakfast?"

He nodded a 'yes' and she served him up some porridge and a slice of grilled meat followed by a cup full of a broth she had warmed up.

"They still sleepin'?" asked Gudrun, he set down his cup of broth and said, "Like logs, even Sasha barely stirred when I stepped over her."

Gudrun smiled and remarked, "Puir lassie, her granny dyin' like that took 'er by surprise an' she just wasnae 'er ususal sunny self."

"No kidding! Her getting all bent out of shape at Dena the other night scared me, she doesn't realize how strong she is, and I don't know what I would've done had she really gone after Dena. They seem to be friends now so I'm not going to dwell on it, but I was pretty concerned there."

Gudrun smiled and replied,"Dinnae worry none, I woold've stopped 'er if it had come tae that. We Jotuns arenae violent by nature an' I doobt she woods hae tried tae really hurt 'er."

She sat down across from him with her own breakfast, a meal that could have sustained Roger for a couple of days and as they ate, Roger said quietly, "We are going to have to leave in the next day or so.

I borrowed the plane we used to get up here on such short notice and if I take too long in getting back, the owner will cheerfully feed me to the lions.

And if I crash it, well, I might as well throw myself under it before it hits to save him the trouble of choking me to death."

She smiled at him and remarked cheerfully, "Weel noo, we cannae hae that! I'll prod Freya intae gettin' ready tae leave, I wooldnae wan' 'er tae be responsible fur yer untimely demise!"

She winked at him and said, "I'll hae 'er ready tae leave on th' morrow. That'll gie 'er time tae visit wi' 'er friends."

"And me time to get some idea of how much storage space I'm gonna need for all those books I saw." quipped Roger.

Roger was about to comment further when he noticed a twinkle in Gudrun's blue eyes and a cold wet nose suddenly pushed against his neck.

" Aaack!" he yelped and Gudrun burst out laughing, Sasha had entered the kitchen unbeknownst to him and pressed her nose against his exposed neck.

"Don't do that! Damn near gave me a heart attack!" he exclaimed to Gudrun's amusement.

Sasha nosed him again and whined while looking towards the outside door.

Roger grinned at the enormous wolf and said playfully, "You wanna go outside?"

She barked once and gently took his arm in her massive jaws, jaws that could splinter a heavy beef bone with utter ease.

Tugging gently on his arm, Sasha induced Roger to let her outside to relieve herself.

Following her outside, he enjoyed the morning air while Sasha sniffed around to find the right spot to pee.

He was smiling at one of the Jotun children as he walked by following his towering mother carrying a handbasket with a cloth draped over it.

When the insistent chiming of his satellite phone interrupted his musings. It was Rachel.

"Roger!" she began, "I looked into that property you told me about."

"And?" he replied.

"It seems it belongs to a friend of George and Mia's. An author named Anna Karlsen." "Okay, so is it available?"

"Well, sort of..."

Roger raised one eyebrow, "Sort of?"

"The story I was told is that she 'inherited' it from an ancestor of hers, an immigrant minor noblewoman named Anna Karlsen."

"Okay, she inherited it, why did you emphasize 'inherited'? Asked Roger.

"Because she is, this Anna Karlsen. The Anna Karlsen I'm speaking of, is over two hundred and fifty years old...Hello?"

"I'm still here!" Roger turned away from everyone and said hoarsely, "Are you saying that Anna Karlsen is a..."

"Yes, she's a vampire, a responsible one I might add." added Rachel.

Roger almost blurted out a sarcastic comment, but caught himself and said quietly "How th' eff did George and Mia get tangled up with a..."

"Vampire?" "Yeah, that!" demanded Roger.

"Nevermind that for now, to keep it short, the property is not for sale, however we can utilize it for as long as we want, so long as we allow her access to our notes and findings."

Roger grinned and replied, "Fair enough. Though it'll take us a little while to get all of Induna's library moved down to the house and then there is the question of where we'll put it all."

A few moments later Rachel asked, "How big of a library?"

"I'm not sure really, I looked it over while Freya and Dena were going over a few things," "Dena? Who's Dena?"

"Dena is the wood wife I sent you a picture of earlier. She and Freya are now friends and that makes me her friend too."

"Okay, you're all friends now, that's good."

"The library has to be several thousand volumes in book and scroll form, there is also a number of old maps and other items. I'm not sure the house could take it all without it taking over at least half of the house."

"And that brings us to the best part..." remarked Rachel, "There is a large house on the property, it needs work. Probably a lot of work, but I'm told it has nice high ceilings and about eight bedrooms."

"We'll have to take a look at it when we get back." Commented Roger, "We'll be leaving for home tomorrow morning. Dena and Sasha will stay here for the time being and they'll keep an eye on Induna's cottage while we're gone."

"That works for me." replied Rachel, "I'll talk to you when you get back to Portland." "Catch you later!". Ending his connection, Roger saw Sasha sitting patiently on her haunches waiting for him to open the door to Freya's house.

He grinned at the giant wolf and said cheerfully, "Now, I suppose you want back in?"

Her grin and wagging tail told him 'yes'.

He took hold of the big door handle and pushed open the twelve foot high door for Sasha who wasted little time in finding her life's companion, Dena the wood wife.

Following the massive wolf inside, he found them all sitting at the kitchen table eating their porridge and grilled meat then washing it down with a cup of Gudrun's heart warming broth.

"Hey there sleepyhead!" he said cheerfully to Freya, "I'm planning on us flying out of here in the morning, so go visit with your friends while I get a better idea of just how many books Induna had."

Freya nodded in reply then swallowed her bite of food to ask, "What about tha' property near uir hoose? Have ye heard anythin'?"

Roger grinned at her and replied, "It's not for sale, but the owner is willing to let us use it for as long as we want. It seems the owner is a friend of George and Mia's, though not anyone either of us have met."

Freya said, "Okay, dae we just cut th' lock oan th' gate?"

"It's a little more involved than that, it seems there is a large house on the property with several out buildings. The house has about eight bedrooms and supposedly high ceilings, we'll find out more once we've seen the place."

Freya looked a bit surprised and said, "Huh, I ne'er ken there was a hoose oan th' property, it's all sae overgroon I couldnae see any hoose."

Roger simply shrugged and remarked, "When we fly back to Portland, we'll circle over the property and take a look see to get an idea where the house might be."

Dena at this point, spoke up, "Will ye be needin' me help? What if ye see a wolf ur somethin'?"

Roger sat down next to Dena and said quietly, "I'm afraid we can't take you and Sasha with us at this time, the airplane I borrowed just isn't big enough to take you in."

When she pouted as only a two foot tall, very pretty wood wife can, Roger chucked her under her tiny chin with his forefinger and said gently, "C'mon now, that's not playing fair, I'd love to take you two with us and I will take you guys with us at a later date...I promise!"

He made a crossing motion over his heart as he said it for emphasis.

She flashed him a dazzling smile and said happily, "Aam lookin' forward tae it!".

While Freya went to visit her friends, Roger and Dena went into Induna's cottage while Sasha lay outside in the sun and dozed.

He had never really looked around in Induna's cottage before and he slowly realized that her library literally filled at least two of the rooms.

Dena could easily slip between the stacks of books and poke around inside the rooms he simply couldn't squeeze into.

He heard her tiny sneezes from time to time as she shined the little flashlight he'd given her, into the darker corners of the cottage while he waited outside, hoping she didn't neet with any accidents.

When she reemerged from the book filled rooms all covered in dust and cobwebs, she grinned at him and said, "Th' rooms ur foo ay books, e'en Ah couldnae fit in some ay th' places Ah saw in thaur."

Roger smiled at his tiny friend and said, "It seems that Induna could not say no to a book and kept them all. Clearing out this cottage is going to take some time..."

Her tiny sneeze interrupted him and he grinned, "Let's get you in a bathtub, we'll talk about this later!" he stooped slightly to scoop her up and they went outside to lock the door and fetch Sasha.

The gigantic wolf sniffed at Dena a few moments and promptly sneezed as only a giant lupine companion can.

Even Roger flinched at the sight of her powerful sneeze.

Few minutes later they were back inside Freya's parent's house and filling the enormous bathtub from the wall mounted spigot and adding steam kettles full of hot water to warm it up a bit.

Roger straightened up from adding another kettleful of hot water and saw Dena standing there, wearing only one of her bright smiles as a garment and removing any lingering doubts as to her being a her.

Roger could only shake his head and mutter to himself, "What is it with you legendary creatures and your casualness about nudity?"

Dena giggled and said in her pipsqueak of a voice, "If Ah didne loch ye, ye wooldnae see me at aw, lit aloyn see me naked!"

Roger could only roll his eyes at her response and say, "I had to get used to Freya walking about in the house naked, now I guess I'll have to get used to you being a little nudist also."

"Takin' a bath, can I join in?"

Roger looked over at the sound of her voice and saw Freya standing in the doorway to the bath room.

Before he could respond Dena squeaked, "That woods be verra nice!" and Freya began peeling off her clothes just like she would do at their house.

Moments later, she stepped into the tub with Dena and the two began scrubbing, from his perspective it looked for all the world like Freya was bathing with a doll, a living, breathing doll.

Roger beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen with the small bundle of Dena's dirty clothes where he showed them to Gudrun.

She took one glance at them and asked, "Is she takin' a bath aloyn?"

"Nah, Freya's in there with her." he chuckled and said, "She looks like she's a human girl taking a bath with a plastic doll, only she's over seven feet tall now and the 'doll' is a wood wife."

Gudrun smiled at his words and commented,"They've become guid friends that's a guid sign. Dena was such a big help tae me mammy in 'er final years, an' I'm glad she's decided to stay wi' us."

Gudrun placed Dena's clothing in a bowl and poured hot soapy water over it to let it soak.

She asked Roger, "What time ur ye two leavin' tomorrow?"

He replied, "I want to leave here at dawn as it takes a few hours to get to the lake.

I hope to be back in Portland by late afternoon, early evening. That way she can get to bed early enough to be fresh for school on Monday."

"Makes sense tae me" remarked Gudrun and she asked, "Woods ye loch tae help me prepaur uir dinner?"

Roger grinned and replied, "You sure you want me loose in your kitchen?"

"Freya tells me ye dae most of th' cookin' at haem, sae why nae?"

Roger smiled and soon he was peeling and slicing up some of the potatoes he'd brought with him while Gudrun scrubbed one of her iron cooking pots to bake dinner in.

He cut up one of the glazed hams into bite sized chunks while Gudrun boiled the potatoes a bit before mixing them with the pieces of ham.

Everything was mixed in the iron pot and it was covered with grated cheese then popped into the massive stone and iron oven to bake.

Freya now freshly scrubbed and with her hair nicely braided by Dena, came in, set up the table and carried Sasha's food outside for her to eat after Gudrun had explained, "Sasha jist willnae fit in th' scullery wi' all of us thaur at once."

An hour later and all seven of them were gathered in the kitchen when Gudrun removed the iron pot from the oven, and they all could smell the ham and potato bake with the pineapple slices laid over its top.

The fresh salad was quickly polished off and the main dish was quickly served up while Sigurd carefully poured the ale.

Gudrun's sister Barbara eyed the main dish and said, "Ah cannae say I'v e'er tasted pineapple afore an' ham is sich a rarity tae me. It smells wonderful!"

Roger smiled at her and replied, "I learned the recipe from a friend's mother while I was visiting them for a week-end furlough. She said it was nothing special, but for a boy who grew up in foster homes, it was delicious!"

Barbara took up a small bit of the food and took a taste, her face a study in curiosity.

Roger thought it best not to chuckle at the sight of a nine-foot tall giantess daintily trying out a new taste.

Her face went from curious/dubious to delighted at the taste of the pineapple slices and she pronounced the food to be 'tasty'.

Sigurd boomed a laugh and raised his ale to say, "Here's tae me sister-in-law, may she always approve ay yoor cookin'!" They all took a drink at that and dug in with gusto.

After dinner Sigurd poured another round of ale and they talked.

Barbara grinned at Roger and said teasingly, "Ye dae realize 'at me niece will gie as big as me, sae ye think ye can handle 'er?"

Roger grinned back and replied, "I think we're doing okay." he smiled at Freya and said, "We both have had a lot of fun together and we do get on each others nerves sometimes, but doesn't everybody do that?"

Barbara only smiled and nodded knowingly.

"Sae yoo're leavin' in th' morn?" asked Olaf, "Whit abit Granny's things?"

Freya replied, "I already took th' things she gae tae me, th' rest is fur everybody else, except th' books of coorse."

He nodded his acknowledgement of her remarks.

After Roger finished his second tankard of ale, he turned it over to signify that he was done for the night and a puzzled Sigurd asked, "Yoo're drinkin' lightly tonecht ?"

"'fraid so big guy, I have to fly tomorrow and need all the skills I can get!"

Sigurd smiled at his reply and said, "I'm guessin' flyin's a bit mair complicated than walkin' 'en?"

"Quite a bit more my large friend, quite a bit."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

In the gray light of predawn, Roger and Freya left her parent's house and set out for Ape Lake.

Accompanying them were her parents, her brother Olaf, her aunt Barbara and her new friends, Dena, the wood wife and Sasha, the great guardian wolf.

Taking his hand in her own, Freya set out resolutely and soon, they were well out of sight of the small enclave where their home village lay hidden from view.

It was a pleasantly cool morning and they made very good progress as the sun's rays slowly illuminated their pathway before them.

Coming in sight of the lake, they noticed that a couple of tents had been pitched near where the Cessna was tied off to a stout bit of driftwood.

There was a campfire going and a couple of young people and their dog were standing near the cheery blaze enjoying the morning air.

They stopped what they were doing and stood silently as the Jotun party drew nearer.

The look of astonishment on their faces was unmistakable as they realized that Roger was a six foot tall man and he was the shortest person in the party.

Then they saw Dena riding on Sasha's back.

The dog's frenzied barking and whining caused more campers to emerge from their colorful tents and they too, stood silently gazing at the approaching frost giants.

Roger broke the ice, "Good morning!" he called out.

One of the campers, a girl of about sixteen and all of five feet tall with her blonde hair in a braid replied, "Good morning to you too!"

She tried to shush the frantic dog until Dena smiled and waved, the girl's mouth made an 'O' and she blurted out, "Oh My God! Is she for real and is that wolf for real? Are all of you for real? I must be dreaming this!"

The giants all chuckled amongst themselves and Freya smiled at her as she replied,"Aye, we are as real as you are. I'm Freya by the way, an' this is me family, me mum an' dad, me brother Olaf an' me auntie Barbara. The guardian wolf and the wood wife are me friends, Dena and Sasha."

The girl smiled and replied, "I'm Hilde Swenson and these great louts, are my dumb brothers who've forgotten their manners!" for emphasis, she slugged the young man standing closest to her on his arm.

Hilde stepped forward and held out her hand, Freya smiled at her and the two shook hands. Hilde looked up at Freya and asked, "Did you guys come out to greet us? Are you really giants?"

It was Gudrun who replied, "Nae wee lassie,we did nae come oot tae greit ye. We came doon tae say guidbye tae uir dochter. Aye we ur giants, we ur Jotuns, also called frost giants."

The girl stared at her blankly for a few moments then said, "I'm sorry, did you say you were frost giants?"

"Aye, I did wee lassie." replied Gudrun.

She was about to elaborate when one of the young men who had been squinting at Olaf suddenly exclaimed.

"Now I know why you seem so familiar, you're Olaf, you used to come into our store with your little sister and trade furs and stuff for things we had for sale. I wasn't sure at first 'coz you're so big now!"

He strode forward and reached out a hand to Olaf, who now stood almost ten feet tall. Olaf looked at him closely at first, then he let out a booming laugh and they clasped hands enthusiastically.

Olaf grinned through his youthful beard and said cheerfully, "I stopped comin' in when I got too tall an' Freya went in me stead. It's verra guid tae see ye again Chris!"

Chris glanced over at Freya and smiled as he said, "You must be Freya."

He grinned and said, "You must be the Freya I've heard about down in Portland, Oregon." at her puzzled expression he said cheerfully, "You are the sixth grader who plays with the Portland Pilots senior women's volleyball team are you not?"

At her affirmative nod he laughed and said to his friends, "This girl works out with the University of Portland senior women's volleyball team, she's like a super strong player, but they can't put her on the team 'coz she's too young."

When he saw that Sigurd and Gudrun were listening closely, he said to them, "Freya's kinda famous because she's so big and strong and she's light on her feet. I have a couple of magazine articles that mention her, would you guys like a copy?"

Both of her parents nodded an enthusiastic 'yes'.

Chris looked over at his friends and he called out cheerfully, "I know them! I know Olaf and Freya here, they used to come into our store and trade furs and hides for things."

Dena decided at that moment to speak up in her piccolo of a voice, "Guid day! Whit abit me? Aam fur real tay!"

Hilde hesitated to approach because Sasha was gazing at her so she said, "Will he bite?" Dena grinned and replied playfully, "He is a she, an' nae 'she' willnae bite, nae unless Aam in danger!"

The girl flushed slightly and hastily replied, "Sorry, she's so huge I couldn't tell. What kind of wolf is she? She looks like she came from a TV series with dire wolves in it."

Roger chuckled as Freya responded, "She's nae one of those puny 'dire wolves', I've seen th' show you speak of an' they got it all wrong."

She looked over at Roger and said, "We're callin' her species 'Fenris wolf' or " _Canis fenris_ " tae put it in Latin."

She grinned at Hilde and said, "They came wi' us when we left Europe o'er a thousan' years ago."

Olaf chuckled and commented, "Now yoo're soundin' like wan ay th' wee folk."

Freya grinned at her older brother and retorted, "Dae Ah still soond loch a body ay th' wee folk?" He just laughed in reply.

Hilde approached them while holding onto her dog's collar, his tail wagging feverishly, he stretched out his nose and touched his nose to Sasha's far larger one.

There was a pregnant moment of tension until Sasha licked Hilde's dog on his face and all was well.

Hilde was now gently stroking Sasha's deep fur and with a note of awe in her voice said, "Her fur is so soft, it feels like I could sleep in it and have wonderful dreams!"

She looked at Dena and said happily, "I never thought I would actually meet people from a myth. You look like a little wood elf or something and this wolf of yours is incredible. I'll bet I could ride her like a pony."

She glanced at Freya and Olaf talking to her brother Chris and commented, "I vaguely remember them coming into our dad's store, they kinda stood out with their homemade clothing and funny way of talking. I had no idea they were young giants!"

Sasha turned her great head suddenly and licked Hilde along her cheek, causing the girl to break into a fit of the giggles.

Dena laughed and said, "She likes ye noo, yoo've become a body ay 'er friends noo."

Hilde's dog was now lying on the ground as if meeting a group of frost giants, a wood elf and her giant lupine companion, were all in a day's work and no big deal.

Chris was now talking to Sigurd and Gudrun about getting a copy of the sports magazines he'd mentioned to them, while the other two boys were quietly taking pictures of the giants and their sister talking to the wood elf and petting the pony sized wolf.

Roger went over to the Cessna and unlocked it.

He stepped onto the float nearest him and pulled the propeller through a few times to clear the lower cylinders of oil.

One of the two boys asked, "So, this is your plane?"

Roger smiled at him and replied, "Actually, I borrowed it for the week. We were getting ready to leave when we met you guys."

"Ah" he replied, "That's cool, you can fly in and out of here all you like. We had to hike for almost a week to get here."

He looked over at his sister and brother talking to the giants and chuckled slightly, "We sure didn't expect to be meeting you guys, that's for sure."

"The feeling's mutual," replied Roger, "I'm glad you brought a dog with you, they've got some very large bears around here and meeting one could be a real bummer."

The boy shrugged and replied, "We always take our dog with us when we go camping, haven't had any problems yet with any bears."

He gestured at Sasha and asked, "Is that wolf for real? I had no idea they got so big."

"Sasha is a great guardian wolf, they came from Europe with the Jotuns, the little cutie is a wood wife, a kind of forest elf, usually they avoid humans like the plague and are long gone by the time we come blundering along with all our noise. They also came with the Jotuns, they all kind of take care of each other and protect each other."

He grinned at Roger and said, "That's cool!"

Roger called out to Freya, "Hey kiddo, we gotta get going now, it's a long flight home."

The next few minutes were a round of immense hugs and kisses between Freya and her family.

Even Roger got enveloped in Gudrun's great bosom and made to feel like a child again.

Barbara once again to Freya's dismay, lifted him like a toy and gave him a resounding kiss right on his lips, then laughed at his blushing afterwards.

She said merrily, "Ye tak' guid caur ay mah niece, ye hear?"

Roger could only smile weakly and nod in agreement.

Little Dena wanted a hug from Roger and he gently obliged her wishes, then he gave Sasha a good rump scratching and she closed her golden eyes in appreciation.

They climbed into the Cessna and after a quick run through of the preflight checks, Roger turned the ignition key.

The propeller started whirling, the engine coughed a few times and a great puff of oily smoke shot out of the exhaust system.

The remaining cylinders caught on and soon, the seven cylindered engine was purring away, the propeller now a blur of motion.

Waving at the small crowd of large and small people on the shore, Roger throttled up the engine and soon, they were gathering speed prior to the take off.

The Cessna's engine roared and the bumpy ride ended as the floatplane took to the air and clawed its way to cruising altitude.

They circled around the lake below and waved at their friends far below them.

They then headed south to Portland and home.

Roger looked over at Freya and smiled, then he looked at her in puzzlement before asking, "Something the matter?"

She looked at him and muttered, "I cannae believe me auntie...Kissing ye like she did, she kens Ah don't like it!"

He smiled weakly at her and said quietly, "I didn't expect that either, dear. If she was trying to get a rise out of you, she certainly succeeded!"

"I hope she doesnae mak' a habit of it!" grumped Freya.

"I'll make it a point not to let her get too close in the future." agreed Roger who still marveled at just how strong Barbara was.

He, being a six foot tall man weighing about one hundred and eighty pounds was no lightweight, and she had picked him up like it was nothing to her.

The flight while long, was fairly routine and Roger let Freya take the controls for a little while, she had shown an interest in flying and this was a perfect opportunity to let her give it a try.

He spent the time looking about, continually scanning the horizon for other aircraft while Freya concentrated on keeping the Cessna on the straight and level, the compass and altimeter needles steadily floating at the headings Roger had chosen for their course.

A recent addition to the Cessna was a GPS systen navigation aid, it had a LCD screen showing the Cessna's location as being a little airplane moving over the map shown on the screen, it gave the plane's location and how much longer the flight would take, assuming a steady air and ground speed.

Freya seemed to be comfortable with flying, so he allowed her to fly them nearly all the rest of the way home.

Approaching the outskirts of Portland, Oregon Roger took over the controls and they did a slow speed circle high over the property behind their house.

Roger handed her a pair of binoculars and said, "Take a look and let me kmow if you see anything down there."

She put the glasses to her eyes and soon exclaimed, "I see it now, there is a hoose doon there. Th' trees hae groon up all aroond it, sae we cannae see it from th' groond."

She put the binoculars back in their place and took a few pictures with her cell phone of the house below them.

Leveling off, he flew the plane into the holding pattern over the small craft airport where the Cessna was kept.

A little while later, the tires briefly screeched as they kissed the hard surface of the runway and Roger began gently braking the Cessna to a taxiing speed before exiting the runway.

Easing the Cessna into its designated parking space, Roger grinned at the owner before he went through the brief shut down procedures and shut off the ignition key, allowing the seven cylinder engine to whirl to a stop.

The owner opened the door on Freya's side and held it open for her as she carefully exited the small plane and stood on terra firma for the first time in hours.

He smiled up at her and asked, "How did it go? I hope the plane was big enough for you." She smiled at him and replied, "It went verra nicely thank ye, I said me guid byes tae me granny and brought back a few things she had given me."

"Glad to hear it," he replied, "Things can get pretty crazy at a funeral sometimes."

Roger grinned at him as he handed back the keys to the Cessna and said, "Thanks a bunch guy, I don't know how I would've done it any other way."

Robert, the Cessna's owner grinned at him and replied, "Not a problem Rodge, glad I could help." they both glanced over at the hangar where the big Martin Mariner PBM was going to be kept after it was finished being refurbished as a civilian aircraft.

Robert commented, "It'll be good to see that bird in the air again." he chuckled and remarked, "I still can't believe you managed to get that thing here in one piece. It was a real mess!"

Roger grinned and replied, "I'm having a hard time believing it myself, we had to make an emergency landing on Gatun Lake and the Canal officials were not happy about it. A whole lot of ass kissing was required before we got out of there!"

He smiled at the memory of the rescuing of a Martin Mariner PBM-5 from the Brazilian airfield where it had languished, unknown and unwanted.

Roger smiled at Robert and said, "Any chance of Freya getting into flight school? I let her have the stick for a while and she seemed to enjoy it."

Robert grinned at him and replied, "That was how I got into flying. I was up with my grandpa and he let me take the controls. That was all it took, I soloed before I was old enough to drive a car."

He caressed the door of the Cessna and said wistfully, "He left me this old bird, I had it refubished in his memory and I'm glad it came in handy for you two."

He winked at Freya and said merrily, "I'll have you soloing in this bird before you know it, you'll see!"

She smiled at him and replied, "I'd like that, learnin' hoo tae fly." Roger chuckled and said, "It'll be nice having a co-pilot on long flights."

Robert looked over at the hangar and commented, "You'll be needing a co-pilot with that big an aircraft."

"All part of my master plan." grinned Roger.

Leaving the airport, Roger soon pulled into a fast food joint and the two entered the building.

Freya ignored the stares as she placed her order with the astonished cashier, after all, it wasn't every day that a towering young girl ordered enough food to feed a small family without batting a lash.

Sitting sideways in the biggest booth they had, Freya polished off the food in less time than it took Roger to eat his own, considerably smaller order.

Roger chuckled and said, "You're making it look like I'm not feeding you enough or something."

Freya smiled at him and replied, "You feed me plenty of food. It's jist that th' whole time I was thaur, I was cravin' a cheeseburger an' fries!" Roger just laughed.

The house was dark when they pulled into the driveway and parked the van. Roger looked over at his companion and smiled, "Well kiddo, we're home again and this time, nobody got hurt!"

Freya, his now over seven foot tall, twelve year old companion grinned back at him and replied, "That's only 'coz we werenae really tryin'!"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Giantess meets a vampire

Claymore warriors mentioned in passing, I do not own claymore.

A few weeks after their return from Induna's funeral, the phone rang. Roger reluctantly laid down the report he was reading and answered it.

"Hello?!"

"My name is Anna Karlsen, may I speak to Roger Tate please?"

The woman's voice was mellifluous, the accent cultured and indefinable, the name rang a bell, he'd heard it recently.

"Speaking." he replied.

"I understand you have an interest in a property of mine."

Leaning back in his chair, Roger replied, "If it is the property I'm thinking of, I was told the property is not for sale, although I may be allowed to make use of it."

Anna's cultured voice replied, "That is the jist of my agreement with Rachel Thompson, yes."

Roger smiled to himself and replied, "So far, we're still on the same page. Admittedly, I have not been on the property though my companion has, for a brief time. She related to me that it is heavily overgrown and she never saw any buildings while looking around."

He heard a soft chuckle, then she remarked, "She was not meant to see any buildings, there is a sort of guardian 'charm' placed on the property to discourage trespassers."

This time Roger chuckled and he replied, "Considering some of the things I've seen in recent years, I would not be the least bit surprised."

"Oh? And what, pray tell, have you seen?"

"Well" began Roger, "My best friend and closest thing I have to a brother, is married to a lamia.

They live on a ranch in Arizona with her family and several arachne's living near by.

I briefly dated a former claymore warrior, well, more like had a fling with her, but we're still friends.

I now live with a girl who is a frost giant and more recently we became friends with a wood wife and her giant wolf companion. So, I guess you could say... I've seen a few things."

Anna's soothing voice replied, "You sound quite interesting, I'm going to enjoy meeting you!"

"Meeting me? How?"

"By coming up to Portland of course!"

Roger straightened up in his chair and asked, "When is this going to happen?"

There was a pause then he heard, "In a fortnight, I have several book signing engagements in Portland and this will be a perfect opportunity to meet and talk."

"Okay...What are your hotel arrangements?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Freya and I live in a big old house with several empty 're welcome to stay with us while you're here."

"That would be lovely! I'll take it!" She replied happily.

Roger grinned and said, "We'll see you in two weeks then!"

It was nearly eight O'clock when Freya got home from practice with the women's volleyball team at Portland U.

The team captain Ingrid Hansen, had given her a ride home after she had gotten out of school and taken the bus to the college campus.

Roger had had misgivings about letting her go by herself on public transportation, but her size was an advantage, no one bothered her.

Ingrid came in with Freya and Roger said cheerfully, "There's drinks in the fridge if you'd like something."

Ingrid grinned at him and replied politely, "Sorry, we've got a big game coming up and I'm in training. No fun allowed!"

Roger grinned at the pretty, six-foot-four inch tall blonde and replied amiably, "We have water, if you're allowed that."

Freya's seven-foot-four inch tall form loomed over her as she reached a long arm into the fridge, snagged a couple of water bottles and handed one to Ingrid, who grinned in appreciation.

She took a couple of sips and said, "I gotta run, thanks for the water...See you guys this Friday?"

Roger laughed and replied, "I'd be dead meat if I didn't show up, she'd clobber me!"

Ingrid winked and said merrily, "And I'd help her hide the body!"

After a late dinner, the two were relaxing in the living room.

Roger said pleasantly, "I heard from the owner of that property next door, today."

Freya looked up from her book, "And?"

"It seems she's coming up to Portland in a couple of weeks for a book signing engagement." "Oh? What's 'er name?"

"Anna Karlsen"

At her shrug Roger commented, "She writes mostly Gothic romance stuff, not really something you'd like I guess."

Freya looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "I ken who she is now, a couple of th' girls oan th' team have mentioned 'er books."

"I invited her to stay with us while she's here."

Freya gazed at him steadily and he continued, "She wants to meet both of us and I figured why not? She can show us around her property when she's not signing books."

Freya glanced around the semi tidy living room and commented,"We'll have a bit of cleanin' up tae dae afore can start thes weekend." "Yes ma'am." replied Roger with a grin.

By day's end that Saturday, the house was less cluttered.

Roger had hauled a couple of loads to the recycling center and the green waste yard, while Freya with her great height and an extension pole reached up into the corners and gathered the few cob webs she found in the corners.

Roger dusted the display cases and straightened the various artifacts in them.

There was a reason why her school mates called her house a museum, being a craftsman home, it had many book and display cases which Roger had obligingly filled with his books and artifacts collection, hence the museum moniker.

Not feeling like cooking, the two drove off to a nearby burger stand where Freya happily chowed down on their finest offerings, while Roger ate more sedately.

People that knew her were always amazed at her appetite, but then they looked at her slender, towering frame and shrugged, she was still growing like a weed and needed the protein, fats and carbs.

Besides, she burned it all up with her energy on the playing fields at school.

Two weeks later, Roger and Freya stood patiently waiting while the passengers disembarked from the afternoon flight Anna Karlsen was on.

Roger hadn't bothered to make up one of those "Waiting for -" signs, he'd figured that Freya simply standing there would be sufficient.

Presently two women approached them, one was dressed in a long sleeved, light resistant outfit with a broad brimmed hat covering her head and dark glasses covering her eyes.

She was slender and moved with a lithe, dancer's grace.

Roger recognized her at once even though he had never seen a picture of her, it was her movements that revealed who she was.

The other woman was a bit more dowdy in appearance, her light brown hair was cut short and permed into a sort of bouffant style.

With her tan pantsuit and matching shoes, she was the perfect supporting character in a two character play.

Anna extended her hand in greeting, "You must be Roger and Freya!" she said as their hands briefly clasped.

"And you must be Anna!" he replied, "And you are?" he asked the other woman.

She grinned and said, "Josephine, Josephine Dumont, I'm her publicist." their hands also clasped briefly.

Josephine briefly looked up at Freya's towering height and quietly remarked to Anna, "And I thought your friend Sheila was tall, this girl is...Incredible!"

Freya politely ignored her comment.

A short time later, they were seated in the living room of the large craftsman house Roger and Freya called home.

Anna sipped at the tea Roger had served them and nodded her approval, it would suffice.

She looked around the spacious living room, her bright blue eyes dancing from display case to book case, lingering over an artifact hanging on the wall and back to another display case.

She smiled and said, "You have led an interesting life, are all of these artifacts yours?" as she directed her gaze at Roger.

He grinned and replied, "Not all of them, some of these are Freya's and were given to her by her late grandmother."

He lazily waved a hand at the book cases, "The books are mine though."

Josephine smiled and remarked, "It's quite a collection you have, I don't know any of the authors at all."

He chuckled and commented, "Most of the books are for my research and would be found in a university library rather than a bookstore."

He glanced around and remarked, "I'd have more, but I donated much of my collection to the Museum of Cryptozoology a couple of years ago."

At Josephine's blank look, Anna said quietly, "He's friends with George and Mia Bryce, and was until recently, working mostly in the Sahara Desert region."

"Ah" was her response.

When the grandfather clock chimed the hour of ten, Freya rose from her chair and said, "It's time fur bed, I have tae be at skale a wee bit early in th' morrow. Guid night everybody!"

She leaned over Roger and kissed him on his forehead before bounding up the stairs and into her room.

Josephine remarked quietly, "So early to bed? That's different."

Roger simply shrugged and replied, "Well, she is still in middle school."

"Whaaat? She's in middle school?" came Josephine's near instantaneous exclamation.

Her slightly plump face screwed itself into a question mark and she asked, "How old is she?"

"Twelve, she'll be thirteen this summer."

At Josephine's open mouthed expression, Anna chuckled and said softly, "So she is, a frost giant after all."

She leaned back in her chair and smiled, "I'm liking this all the more! Another mythical creature story in the making here. Please...Tell me more!"

Josephine having recovered from her shock and after a fortifying sip of tea and a bite of her scone.

She asked, "How many other 'mythical creatures' are out there waiting to be discovered?"

Roger smiled slightly and replied, "That's what the museum is trying to find out. George and I were sent to Algeria where we met Mia and her family.

A couple of years ago I was sent up to Canada where I met Freya and her family, they in turn, asked me to take her with me.

I have also met a woodwife and her giant lupine companion. There are many more out there and we are looking for them."

Anna grinned broadly and asked eagerly, "Are they anything like wood elves? The wood wife I mean?"

He chuckled and replied, "She is only about two feet tall and quite adorable I might add.

Her wolf is a real eye opener and her kind are likely the origins of the Norse myths about Fenris, the giant wolf that ate Odin during Ragnarok."

"Are they here?" asked Anna with her eyes all but shimmering in her excitement.

"Sorry, they're still up in Canada, we have no room for both them and Induna's library in this house."

Anna smiled and remarked, "And this is where I get involved...Well played Mr. Tate, well played."

Josephine sat looking back and forth between them, a question on her face. "Am I missing something here?" she asked.

Anna chuckled and replied, "Roger is interested in a property I own, I 've already said it wasn't for sale, but since I'm a sucker for a hard luck story, I agreed to let him have access to it."

She smiled slightly and remarked, "You're lucky I like you!"

"And for that, I am grateful Ms. Karlsen." He replied with a sly grin.

The chiming of the eleventh hour interrupted their conversation briefly and as the last notes died away, Roger declared, "That's my cue gentle ladies. I have to be up to make breakfast and get her to school by seven A.M. I'll show you to your rooms and we'll talk more in the morning."

Josephine spoke up suddenly, "Anna tends to stay up quite late and will sleep for much of the day.

Could you just show us where our rooms are and we can take it from there?"

Anna smiled at him and said, "I stay up late because that's when I do most of my writing. I can be up early if you wish, I'll just be a bit groggy before I've had enough coffee."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "I have no problems with you sleeping in, it's not like you have to be up early tomorrow.

You have your book signing appearances all scheduled for the late afternoon, if I recall aright. Go ahead sleep in, we'll just be quiet."

Roger then showed them where their rooms were situated in the roomy house, and left a light on in the downstairs guest bathroom for their convenience.

Stifling a prodigious yawn, he toddled off to his bed.

Five thirty a.m. Arrived before he was really ready for it, like always.

Turning off the incessant alarm, Roger left his thoroughly slept in bed and sleepily entered the upstairs bathroom.

The sounds of running water told him that Freya was already up and in the shower so he relieved himself quickly and paused before flushing.

With the century old plumbing in the house, a hot shower quickly turned into a deep freeze if a toilet was flushed or a spigot opened.

They always waited before flushing.

Moments later, Freya stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off, utterly unconcerned about Roger seeing her in the altogether.

It was another adjustment he'd had to make.

Roger waited until he had the bathroom to himself before taking his own shower, while she didn't care, he did.

He just wasn't ready this morning to be naked in front of a twelve year old pubescent girl, even if she stood towering over him by nearly a foot and a half.

By six a.m. they entered the kitchen and saw Anna Karlsen seated at the table, sipping at her tea while deeply involved with a book.

She looked up as they entered the kitchen and Roger was struck by how attractive she was with her pale skin, flaxen hair, vaguely elvish look and bright blue eyes twinkling with merriment.

"Good morrow! I found this delicious tea and this wonderful old book and now I fear I've been up all night!"

Roger glanced at the tea canister chuckled and commented, "I'm not surprised. You've been drinking some of Gudrun's herbal tea, that one she calls 'night watch'. It'll keep you up and alert all night if you drink it at night."

Anna smiled and remarked, "It certainly lives up to its reputation. Is it available anywhere?" Freya said quietly, "Me mammy makes it up, it was a favorite of me granny's."

"So it's hard to get isn't it? I'm sorry for not asking first, but it was so delicious! I hope you don't mind."

Freya smiled and replied, "It's nae sae hard tae get, me mom makes it fur our folk so I can get plenty more. I dorn't mind an' I'm glad ye like it."

Roger, who had manned the stove during this called out, "Grab yourself a plate, the eggs are almost ready and there's toast and bacon already done."

He grinned and said to Anna cheerfully, "I'd offer you coffee, but you drank enough of that tea to be up for a while!"

Freya handed Anna a plate and gestured for her to go ahead of her.

Anna smiled and gratefully accepted the freshly made omelet and added toast and bacon to her plate.

Soon, the three them were seated in the breakfast nook, spreading jam on their toast and making the food disappear.

Anna smiled afterwards and said, "This is sooo much better than staying in a hotel.

I do enjoy bringing a story to life and seeing it become a book, it's the publicity part I could do without.

I always get some 'aspiring writer' who wants to collaborate with me or the 'I could have written that part better' wannabe author.

The worst are those who blithely tell me I'm charging too much or they can get it on Megazone for much cheaper."

She smiled and said wistfully, "Josephine really earns her money when we do these book signing tours, she really does keep the weirdos at bay and I do appreciate her efforts."

There was a slight creak of the floor boards and they all looked over to see Josephine herself, standing there with a misty eyed look on her face.

She'd heard Anna's last remarks, she smiled and said amiably, "I'm a professional, it's what I do. Keep the weirdos at bay so you can meet and greet your adoring fans and I thank you for your kind words."

Anna grinned at her publicist and said cheerfully, "And I meant every word of it! I know some popular authors can be a real pain to deal with, I strive not to be one of them. You already have enough on your plate as it is."

Roger, glancing at the wall clock said, "Well ladies,I have to get Freya to school. If you can wait a few minutes, I'll make you something when I get back."

Josephine grinned and replied, "Or, I could make my own breakfast while you're gone. Just show me where the ingredients are and I can handle the rest."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Help yourself!"

Pulling up in front of her school, Freya leaned over and kissed his cheek before exiting the van.

Roger watched as her towering, clad in faded jeans with a long sleeve plaid shirt over a sleeveless top, and the obligatory scuffed up sneakers form, strode purposefully into the school yard.

When he could no longer see her braided red-gold hair. He returned to their craftsman home and their guests.

Entering the kitchen, Roger saw Josephine seated at the table enjoying her breakfast while Anna stood at the sink washing the breakfast dishes from earlier.

He remarked pleasantly, "You don't have to do that you know, you're our guest."

Anna smiled at him and replied coyly, "Are you going to make me stop? I am a guest, I'll have you know. If you persist, I'll lodge a complaint with the manager!"

Roger just laughed and said to Josephine, "Is she always like this?"

Josephine just grinned at him and continued eating.

Anna chuckled and commented, "Josie knows better than to interfere when I'm enjoying myself with mundanities, it keeps me grounded."

He just smiled at her and poured himself another cup of coffee.

After breakfast, Roger took them to the car rental agency where they picked up the Toyota Josephine had reserved online and they followed him back home to prepare for the first book signing event that evening at Longfellow's Books, one of the newer book stores in Portland.

The remaining events would be held at Powell's City of Books, Cameron's Books and the finale would be at Carlson and Turner books.

Josephine would leave on the red eye that same night, while Anna would stay for one or two extra days, then fly back to Los Angeles on the afternoon flight, at least that was the plan.

They left for Longfellow's Books at the same time Roger left to get Freya from school.

Coming back from school Freya asked quietly, "Does Miss Josephine ken Miss Anna's true nature?"

Roger shrugged and replied, "I'm guessing she doesn't have any idea. Lamia's and other demi-humans are far more acceptable than the so-called 'undead'."

"Ah"

"So that means be discreet around Josephine, she's a nice lady and all, but she does not need to know certain things.

Besides, I think she's more fascinated by you than her boss. You're new to her and I'm guessing she has not met any lamias or arachnes, just yet."

"Sae we 'act normal' then?"

Roger laughed and replied, "Define 'normal', our little household certainly doesn't fit the societal norm."

"Sae, dae ye wish tae abide 'normally' then?" said Freya with a slight frown and a flat tone to her voice.

Roger squeezed her hand and replied, "Not a chance kiddo, I like living with you. Living 'normally' would drive me bonkers!"

Her pretty face brightened into a warm smile and she squeezed his hand back.

Author's comment: The bookstores mentioned in this part of the story are real places and are mentioned for authenticity. Feel free to patronize them.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Claymore warrior mentioned in passing, I do not own claymore.

Anna and Josephine returned to the house at nearly midnight.

Roger had stayed up to let them in and to ask how it went.

Seeing the look on Anna's face told him it didn't go well.

She was clearly fuming so Roger made her a cup of chamomile tea and set it near her, she stripped down to her undergarments and tossed the elaborate goth queen outfit aside.

Josephine patiently gathered it up and took it away to be carefully ironed out.

Anna picked up the tea and after saying, "Thank you, you're a gem!" she downed most of it in one gulp then polished it off in a second gulp.

Roger took the cup and refilled it before handing it back to her, Anna blew on it a few times and again lowered the cup when it was empty.

He took it again and when he held up the tea kettle she waved him off and said, "Thanks, I think I'll be all right now."

She sat down in one of the overstuffed winged chairs in the parlour and commented, "The event was well organized and the staff was very professional, most of the guests were very nice.

It was the jerks who'd ask me to sign their books without any sort of personal message then turn around and put it up on 'Dreg's List' before they even left the damn store!"

She massaged her throbbing temples and said, "When Josie realized what was going on and told me about it, I announced that henceforth, I would only sign books with a personal message. One jerk went and demanded her money back, I couldn't believe it! "

She looked at Roger with incredulous eyes and grumbled, "Is this the reason why I started writing again?"

She glanced around to verify that Josephine was not nearby and said in a low voice, "If that stupid cow had had any idea of what I could have done to her, she would have begged for mercy!"

She muttered, "It isn't easy living in this century, people are so incivil to each other and will say terrible things without fear of the consequences. Back in my day, we were polite about stabbing each other in the back and we fully expected reprisals in return."

Anna smiled at Roger and remarked cheerfully, "I wouldn't mind borrowing that young giantess of yours and have her simply standing nearby, her size alone would keep people polite."

"I'm afraid I couldn't allow that. Freya is sort of an ambassador for her people, if she so much as laid rough hands on anyone, it could create lot of problems to deal with."

He grinned at her, "She's already well known as a powerhouse volleyball and basketball player. She works out with the women's volleyball team over at Portland University, there at least, she gets a bit of a challenge."

Anna smiled at him and replied, "I was just teasing, you realize. I have a friend down in Los Angeles who stands six foot six and is quite strong. She's helped me out at a couple of book signing events with crowd control."

Anna glanced around briefly and said quietly, "She's one of the claymores, you know."

He smiled knowingly and commented, "I know one, her name is Helen. We met during our expedition to retrieve George's in-laws from Algeria, she is one crazy broad, but she has a real heart of gold, once you get close to her."

He himself glanced around and said quietly, ""I'm not one for kissing and telling, we had some great times together and we're still close, but as she put it. "I don't wanna watch you grow old and die, I've seen it too many times."

Anna smiled sadly and said quietly, "I know what she means only too well."

Josephine came bustling back into the parlour, a pleasant smile on her face, "I've laid out your outfit for tomorrow night and I've come to say good night."

Anna smiled at her and said, "Thank you for everything and I'll see you in the morning." Moments later, she was gone again.

Anna looked directly at him and asked, "Now what exactly, are your plans for my property? Talk to me!"

Roger leaned back in his chair and replied, "We need a place to put Induna's library and this house is simply not large enough."

At her affirmative nod he continued, "Induna had quite the collection of books, scrolls and maps, all in the Jotun language. That alone makes it imperative that we get it to a safe place for study and preservation."

"Any notion as to how many books there might be?" she asked.

"I can't give an exact figure, she lived in a stone cottage and most of the rooms were filled with books so tightly packed that even a wood wife couldn't squeeze into some of the tighter places."

Roger smiled at her and said quietly, "We also need a place for Dena and her giant lupine companion to stay."

Anna grinned at him and said teasingly, "You have found my weakness Mr. Tate, I have the most wonderful dog at home and they are my kryptonite."

"I thought dogs and bats didn't get along?"

Her ripe lips curved into a smile and she replied, "Not always Mr. Tate, not always. This 'bat' gets along with canids quite nicely!"

"What about other bats?"

Anna shrugged and remarked, "Bats can get quite territorial and will defend their region vigorously if needs be.

However, if permission is asked in advance, a bat can visit a different region for a short time, without too many problems.

In my case, I have a prior claim to this region because I once lived here and still own property here.

Besides, the former resident bat is now living in the hidden realm and I have much of the entire west coast region to roam in, although I did ask permission as a matter of courtesy and permission was happily granted."

Roger and Anna found themselves yawning almost simultaneously and shared a chuckle over it.

He said, "I do need to be up bright and early tomorrow, Freya has school and I need to hit the sack."

Anna smiled at him and remarked, "And I haven't slept in almost two days, that tea of Gudrun's has a way of keeping people awake!"

They stood up together and Roger found himself gently taking her marvelous, gracile body into his arms and holding her closely for a few moments.

He felt her lithe arms squeezing him gently and she murmured, "Thank you for letting me talk without a care in the world, it felt pretty good."

"Any time Anna, any time."

"Anastasia, my real name is Anastasia Karloff, Anna Karlsen is simply my latest Nom de Plume."

"Any relation to Boris?"

"Nope, just a coinkydink!"

"I didn't think there was a family resemblance." They hugged one more time and reluctantly released each other.

Anna smiled at him and said softly, "You are a very interesting man, I like interesting men and would like to call you 'friend' I think you and I will know each other for a long time to come."

Roger winked at her and replied amiably, "I already think of you as a friend. Now, run along to bed, or we'll stand out here and talk half the night!"

Anna grinned at him and lightly traipsed down the hallway to her room.

He smiled at her retreating form, she made quite a lovely sight, even in the frilly underthings of the Victorian era that scarcely hid her slender beauty.

Entering his own bedroom, Roger found to his mild surprise that Freya was curled up in his bed sound asleep.

Ever since they had slept together the night of Induna's passing and once in a too small motel room, she would occasionally sleep with him in a strictly platonic manner.

A manner that Roger strove to maintain, she was so big now that he couldn't help being aware of her proximity while they slept.

Her over seven foot long frame simply filled any bed they might share.

Roger was mildly thankful for the cooler weather lately as her sleeping attire was much more modest than her usual long tee shirt and panties.

Roger kicked off his house slippers and lay down beside his gigantic young companion.

As sleep crept up on him, he mildly wondered what it would be like sleeping with her when she was fully grown and nine feet tall.

His last memory was of her shapely arm slipping around him and pulling him closer just as sleep claimed him.

Roger woke to an empty bed or at least he was now alone in his bed.

He was always amazed at how quietly Freya could move, for all her size she stepped as lightly as someone a third her size could.

He stepped into the bathroom and quickly hopped into the shower while Freya stood there carefully combing and braiding her waist length red-gold hair.

She was still working on her hair when he stepped back out and quickly toweled himself off before dressing.

Entering the spacious kitchen, Roger got the stove going and began whomping up a suitable breakfast for his companion and their guests.

Anna came in and lightly kissed him on his cheek, then she opened the reefer and reached into an insulated box, taking out a plastic pouch with a dark red liquid in it.

She leaned close to him and murmured, "My real breakfast!"

She slipped back out of the kitchen and he continued making breakfast for everyone else.

Fifteen minutes later and everyone was seated in the breakfast nook admiring the food. Roger noted that Anna now had a slight flush to her otherwise pale cheeks and Josephine was happily oblivious to it.

Freya dug in and piled her plate with scrambled eggs and sausage with toasted English muffins slathered with peach preserves on the side.

A small glass of orange juice and a large mug of fresh coffee awaited everyone's drinking pleasure.

Josephine marveled at Freya's appetite and Roger commented, "Well, she is a growing girl and needs her proteins."

Josephine raised a carefully plucked eyebrow and remarked candidly, "She looks pretty 'grown' to me, she could start getting fat if you keep feeding her like that."

Roger laughed and replied, "Freya is only twelve years old, she has a few more years of growing to do and believe me she burns it off, getting fat is not something that will happen to Freya."

Josephine sat quite still and after a moment, said quietly, "I'm sorry, I forgot you had already told me she was twelve. I don't know how I would've forgotten that!"

Freya set down her now empty coffee mug and answered with a twinkle in her eye, "Och aye ma'am, Ah am only twal years auld."

Josephine looked at her blankly then said, "Ah"

Roger pulled up to passenger loading zone and stopped briefly, Freya bussed him gently on his cheek and he said, "I'll be picking you up at eight-ish?"

She grinned at him and replied, "Practice shoods be ower by then ur close tae it. Just come intae th' gym an' wait a bit, I willnae be lang."

"Okay, I'll do that." he replied and moments later, his giant housemate was chatting happily with her friends at school, while he was headed towards home and his guests.

Pulling into his driveway Roger noticed a small van with "Powell's City of Books" written on its sides.

They had company.

Entering his house, Roger saw Anna and Josephine having tea with another woman unfamiliar to him.

Anna smiled as he entered the parlour and said, "This is Veronica Powell, she will be working with us tonight. I asked her to come by so we could go over the program and make any changes if necessary."

Veronica, a slightly plump, fifty-ish woman with a frosting of gray in her dark hair smiled at him and said, "Hello! Thank you for letting Anna and Josephine stay with you, while they're here. This is sooo much better than a hotel by the airport!"

Anna chuckled and said merrily, "Roger is the inspiration for one of the characters in my book "Rescue from Old Algeria."

"Really?!"

Veronica slid her bi-focals down on her longish nose and looked him up and down rather frankly, leaving him feeling slightly violated.

Veronica smiled and asked coyly, "So, which character are you? Not the fellow who married the snake goddess, surely."

Roger could only shrug and reply, "I have to confess, I have not read the book myself. As to the 'snake goddess'? She's a lamia and they are doing just fine on their ranch with their twin girls and the rest of her family come to join them."

Veronica looked at him skeptically and remarked, "That book was just a fantasy story wasn't it?"

She turned to Anna and asked, "Wasn't it?"

"The book was an embellishment of an actual story and Roger here was a part of it." Replied Anna with a slight smile.

Veronica looked him up and down again and asked him, "So all that stuff about searching for hidden races is true? Lamias really do exist?"

Roger smiled at her and replied, "Oh yes, they do. The only reason I didn't wind up married to a lamia is that I was not a virgin, they won't bother with a man who has been with women before. Only virgins will do."

Veronica looked at him curiously and asked, "How can they tell?"

"They can read auras, a virgin male's aura is different than a male who is not a virgin. They mate for life and the lamia is always a virgin when she marries."

"So why haven't we seen them before?"

"They were hunted for sport in ancient times and they have long memories of being hunted, so I don't blame them for hiding. They're coming out now because it is hoped that humans have outgrown their desire to hunt them."

Roger took down a tablet loaded with photos and turned it on. Moments later, he handed it to Veronica and said, "These are some recent photos they sent me, take a look!"

She spent a few minutes, rapidly looking at the photos then handed it back to him with a smile. "Thanks! I'll take another look at that after we're done here. That's amazing!"

Roger excused himself and went into his study to read. He was still reading when Anna entered his study all dressed up in an elaborate black satin evening gown all detailed with red lace and black ribbons to create a Goth-loli effect.

He looked up from his report and smiled at her, "You look amazing and uncomfortable, all at the same time."

Anna grinned at him and replied, "You right on both counts. We'll talk more when we return."

"Good luck!" he said and she swept out of his study once more.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Shortly before eight o'clock, Roger parked their van outside the practice gym where he would find Freya and her friends on the volleyball team.

He entered the building and sat near where the coach was sitting and watching them practice. Walter Phillips, the coach grinned at him and they shook hands.

The two of them sat and watched the girls working out. Walter muttered, "I sure wish we could get Freya on our team for just one season, we would clean house!"

Freya was easy to spot amongst the towering young women, even without her red-gold braids flying as she leapt to block a shot.

She was nearly a foot taller than any of them and her physical development was that of a pubescent girl, even if she was over seven feet tall now.

Roger idly noted a fresh bruise on her right cheek, evidently she had encountered a flying elbow during practice, a not unusual occurrence in a rough and tumble sport like volleyball. He also noted the new bandage on her left knee.

Walter blew the whistle and the playing stopped at once.

He called out, "Great practice ladies, excellent work...Hit the showers and let's get out of here!" The towering ladies all grinned and they all trooped into the locker room and the showers to follow.

Walter smiled at Roger and asked, "You guys have any plans for later?"

"I thought we'd go by Powell's and meet up with a couple of people we know there then go out for coffee and a nibblie or something."

"Ah, well have fun and we'll see you next week?"

"Of course, I gotta tire her out some way and you guys are heaven sent!"

Walter chuckled and commented, "That's what we're here for, tiring out young giants!"

Walter looked thoughtful and quietly asked, "Has she started yet?"

"Started?"

"You know what I mean, started. I've got teenage daughters and she's at about that age when she'll start having her cycles."

"No, thank goodness, though I am expecting it any day now. " replied Roger.

At Walter's raised eyebrow, he said hastily, "Yes, we have pads at the house."

Walter smiled and said quietly, "Have her start carrying them on a daily basis. I just have a feeling she's about to start, let's hope she doesn't have bad PMS!"

Freya reemerged from the locker room with the rest of the team and she gave Roger one of her memorable hugs.

She was grinning from ear to ear as she declared, "Ah lifted four hundred poonds at th' weight bench today!"

Roger grinned back and replied, "I'm not at all surprised, I saw you lift that rock out in the garden that I could barely move, so I know you're strong."

They clambered into the van and as he started it up he asked, "Feel like hitting Powell's tonight? I thought we'd hook up with Anna and Josephine and we could all go for a coffee or something."

Freya looked thoughtful then she smiled and said, "Sure, why not? Ah don't hae school on th' morrow, Ah can sleep in!"

A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking structure for Powell's and made their way into the giant book store.

Finding Anna was fairly easy as there was directional signs marking the way to her book signing event.

The line was still fairly long and they briefly considered getting in line, but Anna had already given them each a signed copy of her newest book, so there was no need to get in line.

They were about to go browsing elsewhere in the store when Freya bumped into a class mate of hers.

The girl was all dressed up in Goth-loli clothing with black satin cat ears, a cat tail and wearing thick soled lace up boots.

On her pale face was dark red lipstick and kohl around her reddened eyes which Roger quickly realized were from the contacts she wore, not from smoke getting blown into her eyes.

She was suitably ghastly and cute for the event, of that there was not a doubt in his mind.

"Freya?! What're you doing here?" the girl asked incredulously.

Freya jerked a thumb towards where Anna Karlsen was holding court and replied, "We're here tae pick up Miss Anna an' Miss Josephine when they're finished wi' th' book signin'."

The girl's eyes grew even bigger than ever before and she cried, "Whaaat?!" making several other patrons give her a disapproving look.

The girl grabbed Freya's arm and dragged her a little ways away which Roger found amusing, Freya was easily many times stronger than the tiny girl dragging her around.

"What d'you mean you're gonna pick them up? How do you know Anna Karlsen?" She hissed.

Freya merely shrugged and replied casually, "Roger knows 'er frae somewhaur, she's stayin' at uir hoose right now."

The girl started hyperventilating then she exclaimed in a strangled voice, "I can't believe you! You know Anna Karlsen, you have her staying at your house, an' you didn't think to tell anyone? Least of all me?"

Freya stood looking down at her tiny assailant in puzzlement and replied gently, "Ah didna ken she was sae popular.

Ah barely ken anythin' abit 'er. Ah just ken she's a friend of th' family. Ah had nae idea ye woods e'en care that she's here wi' us."

Freya smiled at the tiny goth girl and said amiably, "We don't run in th' same circles of friends. We may be classmates, but we dinnae ken each other. It's nae one's fault, it just is."

The girl looked up at Freya towering well over two feet taller than her and replied with a smile, "It's okay, I was just surprised to see you here.

I wouldn't expect you to be reading goth romance novels like I do and I sure wouldn't ever expect to see you wearing an outfit like mine.

Where would you get one to fit you?"

Freya grinned at her tiny classmate and replied, "Believe me when Ah say Ah coods get an ootfit like yoors made fur me.

Ah get me clothes made for me by Miss Emma Granger ur The Questing Beast doon in Phoenix, Arizona. They'd love tae make somethin' like thes fur me."

The girl grinned at her and remarked gaily, "That would be something to see, you, all Gothed out!"

She looked over at the line and said glumly, "Crap! I lost my place in line."

Freya laughed and said amiably, "Nae ye dinnae lose yoor place, Roger held it fur ye, see?" She looked in surprise at Roger standing there in the line, holding her place.

She happily trotted up to him as best she could with her thick soled boots on, did a little curtsy and resumed her place in line.

Roger and Freya spent the next hour browsing the shelves at Powell's books while waiting for Anna and Josephine to finish the signing event.

He mostly idled about while Freya looked at the manga and graphic novels section, in one hand, she held several different volumes that she wanted to get.

He mostly wondered at some of titles he saw and simply shook his head after reading the synopsis on the back of the book or rather the front, as most manga titles were printed in the Japanese right to left fashion.

Roger had found a chair to sit in and was engrossed in a magazine article when he heard his name being called.

Looking up he saw Anna flowing towards him in all her Goth-loli elegance.

Following in her wake were Josephine, Veronica, Freya and the Goth girl they'd met earlier, she was chattering happily at Freya and her face was flushed with excitement.

Lastly, the Goth girl's mother was trailing in her daughter's much smaller wake.

Rising to meet them, he said cheerfully, "Had all the fun you could stand?"

Anna's grin was the reply he expected so he asked, "Care to go get some coffee and a nibblie? There's a great independent coffee house and bakery nearby, I hear it's pretty good!"

Veronica grinned and said, "You must mean B-Street Coffee house, yes, they're very good." Roger smiled at her and said cheerfully, "You're welcome to join us."

Her face frowned slightly and she said ruefully, "I wish! I have to close up the store tonight, that means I won't be leaving 'til about midnight."

Anna's pretty face frowned a bit and she said, "I am sorry to hear that, I enjoyed tonight's event immensely. Your staffers were very professional and everything went very smoothly and I thank you for their help!"

Veronica smiled and replied, "I should be thanking you, Anna, we had a good turnout, much better than some other signing events have brought in."

After Veronica and Anna thanked each other and exchanged hugs, Veronica scurried off to run the store.

Roger smiled at everyone and said cheerfully, "Well ladies? Shall we be off?"

Anna smiled at him and extended her opera gloved hand to take his arm while saying, "Lead on kind sir!"

He grinned at her and bowed slightly with his free arm extended.

He glanced back at the Goth girl who was standing there with shimmering eyes and said pleasantly, "You and your mom are welcome to join us!"

The girl looked like she was about to faint she was so thrilled, she turned to her mother and with her opera gloved hands clasped together in front of her budding decolletage, she turned her shimmering eyed gaze on full force.

Her mother rolled her eyes and nodded her assent.

The girl looked fit to burst in her excitement when Roger extended his other arm and said, "A young lady should always be escorted properly, come along young miss!"

The girl squealed and quickly took his proffered arm.

Behind him, he heard Freya muttering to the girl's highly amused mother, "Always wi' th' gift ay gab that one!".

The patrons and staff of B-Street Bakery and Cafe were mildly surprised to see the front door held open by Roger who stood aside in a slight bow as Anna Karlsen and the Goth-loli girl with black satin cat ears, cat tail and thick soled laced up high boots, wafted in to settle into an empty booth.

Following them were Josephine and the girl's quite patient mother also coming in.

Lastly came Roger, a sandy haired man with a lean, rangy build and sunburnt skin accompanying Freya, a towering girl with red-gold hair and Norse goddess looks.

When the entire party had settled into place, they were approached by the servers with menus in hand and order pads at the ready.

The next few minutes were spent placing orders and the servers confirming the orders.

Afterwards, the girl's mother leaned towards Roger and extended her hand with a smile, "I'm Helen Larsen, Anita's my daughter," as they shook hands, she glanced over at Freya, "and she is your...?"

"Companion, Freya is my companion and I am her guardian while she is here in Portland." Helen smiled and replied cheerfully, "I kinda wondered 'cause you two don't resemble each other at all. "

Roger smiled and said quietly, "I was married twice, no kids though."

"Oh"

Helen looked over at her daughter and Freya talking together and remarked, "Anita's mentioned a really tall girl in a couple of her classes, I didn't realize she was this tall. Nor did I know they were friends."

He chuckled and commented, "Yeah, we were surprised too, to tell you the truth."

Helen grinned and remarked, "Anita can be quite the handful at times. She's so creative, she made her outfit and she loves to write all kinds of stories.

When she found out Anna Karlsen was coming here, she really busted a hump to get here to meet her favorite author.

I was able to get her to do all of her chores without any arguments!"

Helen smiled at him and said warmly, "Thank you for holding her place in line for her and inviting her along with you. I can't tell you how happy she is right now, she won't settle down for at least a week!"

Roger just smiled and said, "I didn't mind holding her place, I was kind of amused watching her dragging Freya around like she did when Freya could easily carry your girl around like she was a doll."

She smiled and remarked, "Freya's so calm about being around Anna Karlsen, doesn't she read her books?"

"Freya doesn't really go in for that sort of thing, she does read for pleasure, but she's studying her native language a lot these days. She wants to be able to read the books she inherited from her grandmother."

"How many did she inherit?"

Roger shrugged and replied, "We have no idea, half of her cottage was filled with books. Probably several thousand volumes."

Helen's carefully trimmed eyebrows went up and she exclaimed, "Thousands? Where're you going to keep them all?"

He grinned and replied, "We're working on it."

"I'll bet!" She commented.

The food and beverages arrived and everybody set to making both disappear.

But not too quickly.

Roger smiled at seeing Anita shyly sharing her writing with Anna Karlsen and Anna looking it over and asking the girl a few pertinent questions, Anita's bright shining eyes showing her happiness at the exchange.

Helen smiled and said quietly, "I have never seen her so happy before, to be talking to her favorite author on such a personal level. She never once imagined this would happen in her wildest dreams."

Roger just smiled and replied, "She'll certainly have a story to tell her friends at school on Monday."

Helen frowned slightly and remarked acidly, "She has very few friends, mostly bullies. She's small for her age and she likes 'weird things' as they say.

She writes to escape 'grim reality world' as she puts it and I can only do so much to protect her.

I had her take martial arts classes so she could defend herself from a physical attack, but how can she deal with the psychological attacks?

Those do even more damage and the wounds can't be easily seen."

Roger remarked in reply, "Freya is not a real popular girl either, she has a few good friends at school and they hang out together regularly.

The bully types pretty much leave her alone because she's so much bigger than everyone else, but the 'queen B' types still try to upset her with snotty comments about her size and the way she dresses.

She's actually pretty easy going and half the time she just laughs at them which annoys them apparently.

Still, she does come home sometimes and is still fuming over some stupid remark she heard during recess."

Their conversation was interrupted by a squeal from Anita who was smiling rapturously while Anna was busily writing something in her note book.

She handed the pen and notebook back to Anita while clearly saying, "You have a lot of raw talent and some good ideas, with a good editor you could make a decent career out of writing and never you mind what the idiots say, they're just jealous of your talent."

The girl looked as if she was about to faint from sheer happiness when Anna said in conclusion, "I've given you my contact info and I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your work. I really do believe you have a gift and I want us to stay in touch."

Anita started crying to Anna's surprise and she said through her sobs, "You have no idea how happy you've made me * sniff * I never even dared to think I would be getting praise from you * sob * "

The girl dabbed at her tears and runny nose, succeeding mostly in smearing her carefully applied make up instead.

Anna grinned at her and said cheerfully, "Young Ladies of Society Rule Number One: "When making a scene, be sure to wear waterproof make up; it saves a big cleaning bill afterwards!"

She gathered the astonished girl to her bosom and the two hugged briefly.

Having settled up with the bill, they all gathered together for a group photo taken by one of the servers who commented about having a hard time getting Freya's whole head in the photo because of her height.

Once back at the parking lot, Anita suddenly came up to Roger and hugged him, her cat eared head barely coming up to his collar bones as she squeezed him briefly before she stepped back and beamed happily, "Thank you for holding my place and inviting us to join you guys. I will always treasure this evening!"

"It was my pleasure, young miss." replied Roger with a slight bow and a smile.

Anita and her mother hopped into their car and drove off with her black opera gloved hand waving goodbye out the widow.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Returning home, Roger pulled up and paused until Josephine's rental car parked alongside him.

As they entered the house, Anna said with a sigh, "Two down and two to go, then I'm going to relax for a couple of days before heading home and back to work."

Josephine began loosening Anna's corset while she carefully peeled off her opera gloves. Freya had momentarily disappeared and Roger was in the kitchen heating up a kettle of water on the stove.

By the time he had put together a tea tray and was bringing it out, Anna had doffed her attire and was now in her pajamas and slippers.

It was quite the change from earlier in the evening when she was all corseted up.

Roger set down the tea tray and poured the water into the tea cups, stirring the tea leaves slightly for better mixing.

Freya returned and was wearing a long nightshirt and slippers, inadvertently showing off a pair of incredibly long, slender legs.

In one hand she had an old book and she curled up with it under the strong reading light next to the overstuffed leather couch.

Anna peered quizzically at the title on the spine until she finally asked, "Is that book written in runes?"

Freya looked up from the book, "Aye, it cam frae me granny's library, most of 'er books ur written in runes."

Anna smiled, "Norse runes?"

Freya frowned slightly and replied patiently, "Nay, Jotun runes. Th' Norse learnt them frae us, they had nae written language when we first met them."

Josephine at this time, came bustling back into the parlour and saw Freya's book, she too peered at it and commented, "Runes?"

"Jotun runes apparently." replied Anna.

"Ah, that's nice. Are they anything like the runes Tolkien used?"

Freya grinned and replied merrily, "Where dae ye think Tolkien got them frae?"

Anna sat down with her tea and asked, "I don't mean to keep interrupting your reading, but would you like to see my great grandmother's house tomorrow morning? I think it would make a great library for your grandmother's books."

Freya's big grin was all the reply she needed, "I'll take that as a 'yes'!"

7 a.m. the next morning and the kitchen was crowded as Roger finished up making breakfast and began serving it up.

Josephine chuckled and remarked, "So much energy this morning! I hope you'll save a little bit for tonight Anna."

Anna grinned at her publicist and replied cheerfully, "You're welcome to join us!"

Josephine laughed and said cheerfully, " Thrashing blindly about in that thicket next door, is not my idea of hiking. Give me a carefully manicured hiking trail any day!"

Roger just smiled and remarked, "Breaking bush in rough country is an acquired taste I'll admit, but sometimes, ya just gotta!"

"Well, I don't hafta! Just bring my author back in time for her to wash up and get ready, that's all I ask." Josephine retorted with a grin.

Anna smiled in amusement as she watched Freya carefully slather herself with a high SPF sunscreen before donning a big hat.

"I don't feel so odd now, after seeing you applying all that sunscreen before you leave the house."

Freya shrugged and remarked, "I didna ken I burned sae easily until I went tae Arizona durin' a sprin' break. I had blisters oan th' back ay me neck."

They simply followed the rusting fence separating the properties until they came to the weed and brush choked remnants of a driveway and a rusting iron gate next to their house.

It was securely chained and a large brass padlock held it in place.

Anna produced a heavy iron key and inserted it into the padlock.

Turning it back and forth finally resulted in a 'spang!' sound from the lock and the hasp slipped open.

A few moments of clattering and unwinding the chain later and the heavy gates groaned as their long dry hinges cried out in protest at being disturbed after so long a rest.

Stepping through the heavy gates, they pulled them closed behind them and relocked the ancient lock.

Following the driveway proved to be fairly easy, as all they had to do was stay between the heavy curbstones lining it.

A growing sense of unease finally got to the point where even Freya muttered, "I cannae gang any farther, I dunnae ken why, I jist cannae tak' another step in thes direction."

"What she said!" commented Roger grimly.

Anna smiled at them and said amiably, "I'm glad to see my repulsion charm is still working after all these years."

She stepped forward a couple of paces and faced the source of the charm, she said three little words, "I have returned!"

Both Roger and Freya suddenly felt the powerful sense of dread vanish without a trace.

Freya suddenly laughed and she scooped up a startled Anna and spun her around once before setting her back down on her feet.

Anna quickly readjusted her big hat and remarked breathlessly, "You're welcome...I think!" Freya smiled at her and replied, "I dunnae ken why I did that, I jist felt it was th' thin' tae dae!"

Roger smiled and remarked, "I can understand why she did that. As soon as you said "I have returned!" It was like all the cares I ever had in this world, suddenly vanished without a trace."

Anna sort of half shrugged and said, "Sorry, I should've warned you guys."

"It's nae problem, nae harm done!" replied Freya with a laugh.

With the psychic barrier gone, they continued following the faint driveway until they rounded the last corner and saw the house.

Or what they could see of it with all the trees that had grown up around it, forming a visual and physical barrier to further exploration.

Ivy had covered the walls to the extent that parts of the house resembled a vast heap of crumbling stone and rotting timbers.

Roger whistled softly and remarked, "I hope it looks worse than it is, ivy can really dig into a masonry wall and loosen the stonework."

They found the front door after pulling away some of the overgrowth and saw the doors still standing firm after nearly a century of neglect.

Anna dug around in her pouch and pulled out a smaller version of the heavy gate key, she was about to insert it when Roger commented, "Maybe we shouldn't open it up just yet, that lock could be very rusty and you could break the key off in the lock.

We can come back tomorrow with some penetrating oil and oil up the locks and hinges."

Anna looked at him for a moment and said agreeably, "Okay, we can do that. We'll come back tomorrow with that oil you mentioned."

Freya was peering in through one of the windows and she said, "It looks like all it needs is a guid cleanin', th' furniture is all covered up wi' sheets ur somethin'."

Anna stepped over to her and Freya lifted her up so she could see for herself.

After a few moments, Anna nodded and Freya set her back down again. "I've seen enough, we'll come back tomorrow with some tools and that oil of yours Roger."

They soon returned to the point where Anna had lifted the repulsion charm, she stopped and said to them, "I'm going to restore the charm, walk on ahead a little way so it doesn't hit you too hard."

Roger reached out and took Freya's hand then they walked off a little ways and stopped, still holding hands.

Anna faced the house and said firmly, "I am leaving!"

Immediately, the feeling of unease and revulsion returned in force and they squeezed each other's hands for reassurance.

They stood there still putting on their brave faces when Anna walked up to them and smiled reassuringly, "You guys going to be all right?" she asked.

Roger grimaced and replied, "We'll be just peachy once we get away from here! That charm of yours packs quite a wallop!"

Anna smiled and said, "I can fix that." she stepped closer and gently touched both of them at once while saying, "You are always welcome here!"

The feelings of unease and revulsion ceased at once.

Roger chuckled and remarked, "I am glad you're on my side, I hate to think what you could do to someone you don't like." Freya simply had a look of amazement on her pretty face.

Returning to the house, Anna went to bathe and get ready for the book signing at her next stop, Cameron's Books, one of Portland's oldest bookstores.

They left the house a bit early to get set up for the signing event leaving Roger and Freya to spend the evening at home.

That evening was spent quietly, Roger was working on a report for the museum, his notes about meeting Dena and her giant wolf Sasha were being polished into a report for for the archives.

Freya was curled up underneath the reading light and nose down in her grandmother's book of old tales from Jotunheim.

The muted 'tick-tock, tick-tock' of the huge grandfather clock in the living room being the only sound amid the stillness.

Roger saved and closed up his report then turned his PC off and headed out to the garage to look for the penetrating oil he'd mentioned earlier.

He also put together a few tools he thought he'd need and placed them in his tool pouch along with the oil he'd found.

He came back in just in time for Freya to hug him goodnight and leave a little kiss on his cheek.

He watched her towering frame as she climbed the stairs two at a time, he belatedly noticed that she was looking more mature with each passing day.

He had only a few more months until she became a teenager and she would start growing in all sorts of wonderful ways.

It was just about midnight when Anna and Josephine returned to the house.

Roger opened the door for them and they swept into the house in grand fashion.

Anna was humming a little tune from an old musical and smiling quite happily.

Roger smiled and asked, "I take it, it went well?"

Josephine smiled and replied, "It was very nice. I wish all book signings went so nicely. We had a few glitches, but they were minor and not worth stressing over. The crowd was very nice, except for one well meaning individual who handed out bible tracts to everyone there."

He chuckled and said, "Wowzers always mean well while getting on your nerves."

He smiled and asked, "Would you ladies like a little chamomile tea before bed? I have hot water all ready to pour."

"Thank you, that would be very nice." replied Anna with a smile.

A few minutes later, Roger set the well stocked tray down on the coffee table in the parlour, he poured the water over the loose tea and said, "Give it a couple of minutes and it'll be ready to drink."

Josephine sat and smiled at him as she said cheerfully, "I can't believe you're not married. You always say and do the right thing to make a lady comfortable around you."

Roger grinned and replied ruefully, "Unfortunately my taste in women leaves much to be desired, I'm a terrible judge of character in that regard. Married and divorced twice over, no kids, thank goodness. Gave it up as a bad idea."

Josephine looked around the parlour and gazed at the many items on display in the glass cases lining the walls.

Finally she looked up and noticed as if for the first time, the twelve foot high ceiling.

"Oh my"she exclaimed, "I just noticed how high the ceiling is, is the whole house like this? With all the high doorways and extra wide hallways?"

Roger grinned and replied, "The high ceilings are what really sold me on this house. It was custom built for a retired circus giant couple who both stood about eight feet tall, so everything was scaled up for them."

Josephine looked at him and asked curiously, "So, it was going for a pretty good price then?"

"Oh yes, it was surprisingly reasonable because it couldn't be torn down or remodeled due to a historical landmark status or something."

He looked around the craftsman home and commented, "I rather enjoy living in this big, old house, and as Freya grows to adulthood, it'll still be big enough for her."

Josephine looked puzzled and asked, "You say she's only twelve? I mean she's so tall and didn't you say she worked out with the senior women's volleyball team at Portland U?"

"She's twelve going on thirteen."

Josephine gaped and Anna chuckled, "She hasn't even hit puberty yet? How much bigger will she get?"

Roger sipped at his tea and replied, "At least nine feet tall, possibly taller, her mom is nine feet plus and her dad is well over ten feet tall."

"How?!"

Anna smiled at her publicist and said amiably, "Freya is a frost giant. Yes, a frost giant from Norse mythology. Didn't her size and her reading a book written in ancient runes tell you anything?"

Anna squeezed her hand and said gently, "You're a great publicist and you take really good care of me, but sometimes, you can be a little clueless."

Josephine closed her eyes and massaged her temples for a moment, then she opened them and said, " I didn't even think about the frost giant angle and I've seen so many young women that are quite tall, especially in sports. I just thought she was an exceptionally tall girl."

She looked at Anna, smiled and asked somewhat innocently, "So...How long before you get a story idea about her?" Anna merely smiled and Josephine grinned.

Josephine turned her attention to Roger and asked, "So how did you meet her? Frost giants aren't exactly common."

Roger opened his mouth to reply when Anna suddenly held up her hand and he closed his mouth again.

"Hold that thought!" Anna commanded and she quickly got up and dashed out of the parlour, her lithe form disappearing down the hallway.

Moments later, she returned with a note pad and a mechanical pencil.

Sitting down again, she smiled at Roger and said cheerfully, "Now talk! I want to hear everything!"

He smiled and replied amiably, "I do have my notes for my report."

"I'll look at them later, first, tell me all about it!"

Roger smiled and he proceeded to tell the story of his adventures amongst the hidden giants of Canada.

Anna's hand flew back and forth across the pages of her note pad as she quickly recorded his story in shorthand.

Pausing only occasionally to sip at her tea or for her to flip over another page, Roger talked for the next couple of hours while Josephine sat quietly listening to his story and replenishing the tea as needed.

When he was finished, Anna looked over the many pages of shorthand scribbling she had written down and remarked, "I wish now I had talked to you when I first started writing that novel about George and Mia Bryce, you're quite the story teller in your own right."

Roger found himself stifling a yawn and he said apologetically, "I'm sorry ladies, it seems my desire to sleep is overwhelming my desire to stay up and chat some more. I'll bid you a good night while I am still somewhat coherent!"

He rose from his chair and as he reached for the tea tray, Anna said quickly, "I'll get that for you, you get to bed and I'll see you in the morning!"

Roger bowed slightly to her and Josephine, "Good night ladies. Sleep well!"

As he walked away, he distinctly heard Josephine mutter, "He'd make a perfect butler, that girl has no idea of how lucky she is to be living with him."

Anna chuckled and replied softly, "Oh, I think she has an idea, they're a lot closer to each other than you may realize."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Claymore warrior mentioned in passing, I do not own claymore.

Saturday morning, 7 a.m. Roger, Freya and Anna were finishing up breakfast.

Roger made up a plate for Josephine and slipped it into the microwave for her to eat when she woke up later that morning.

Anna smiled and said, "Shall we head out then?"

Freya nodded and hefted her back pack and canteen.

Anna picked up her own day pack and Roger slipped his on.

Leaving the house, they soon made their way back to the heavy gate from the day before. Roger liberally dosed the lock with the penetrating oil he'd brought and after a few minutes, the lock opened almost silently.

Stepping through the gate, they locked it behind them and strolled along the pathway leading to the old house.

As he walked, Roger was making mental notes on how much brush and small trees had to be cleared to gain better access to the property.

When he stopped short and realized that they were now standing outside the crumbling manse.

Roger looked over at Freya, she wasn't experiencing any sense of unease either.

He looked at Anna and asked her, "What happened? Yesterday we were almost begging to get away from here, today we feel just fine."

She smiled at him and replied merrily, "That's because you two, are now welcome here!"

Anna smiled and said a bit sheepishly, "I haven't had to use my repulsion charm in a long time and I kind of forgot to declare you two as being welcome here."

As he raised one eyebrow Anna said with a slight grin, "Oh don't worry, it's still working. Nobody's going to be sneaking around here after us."

Approaching the front doors once more, Roger again liberally dosed the lock and hinges with the oil he'd brought.

Putting away the oil he commented, "We'll give it a few minutes to soak in, then we'll play with the lock. It should open without too much drama."

They spent those few minutes looking around the old house and the out buildings.

Except for everything being so overgrown, the place was in surprisingly good shape.

Roger remarked, "We can get a crew in here and have them clear out much of this, starting with the driveway of course. Then we can decide how much more we want to remove as we go."

Returning to the front doors, Anna produced the key and looked at Roger expectantly, he nodded and she carefully inserted the old key in the ancient lock.

Wrapping her hand around the key, she was about to give it a big twist when Roger said quietly, "A little finesse goes a long ways!"

She looked at him curiously and he said matter-of -factly, "You're stronger than I am, you might break off the key. I can always add more oil to the lock if you'd like."

Anna nodded and she withdrew the key so he could spray more penetrating into the old lock and hinges.

A few minutes later and the satisfying 'snick' of a lock opening rewarded their efforts, they were in!

The hinges merely grumbled at being used after so long being idle.

The opened doors beckoned to their long absent owner and Anna stepped inside for the first time in over a century.

The stone flooring showed the marks where her booted feet had disturbed the dust of a hundred years.

Anna did a slow pirouette and smiled at her companions, "Come on in, the dust is fine!" she said cheerfully.

Freya stepped inside next and looked up with a smile on her pretty face.

The ceiling was well above her head and she hadn't had to duck as she crossed the threshold. Roger was the last to enter and he pulled out a flashlight and turned it on with the comment, "Never go into an old building without one of these!"

He played the powerful beam over the faded wall paper and stamped tin ceilings of the house, its piercing ray illuminating the dark corners.

He joked, "As haunted houses go, this one is a disappointment!"

Anna laughed and retorted gleefully, "I can always withdraw my welcome if you want to feel scared!"

Freya hastily spoke up, "Dinnae listen tae heem! I like th' present arrangement jist fine thenk ye!"

She glared briefly at Roger and muttered, "Ye joke tae much sometimes."

They spent about an hour looking around inside the dimly lit house and at times, Roger's flashlight was the only source of light available.

Surprisingly, other than a heavy coating of dust, the house was in pretty fair condition and showed little evidence of animal incursions both two and four legged.

Spider webs did abound and disturbing one would lead to the air being filled with a choking cloud of dust kicked up when the web was disturbed.

They avoided any webs after encountering a couple of them, leading Roger to mutter, "I thought you bats could walk through webs without disturbing them?"

Anna quickly retorted, "That trick only works in the movies! I can't walk through any thing other than an open door. Oh, and I can't turn into a bat either."

Roger grinned and commented, "There goes a whole lot of childhood mythology. I suppose garlic and holy water has no effect on you, what about wooden stakes and mirrors?"

She laughed and retorted, "Garlic I can live without, I don't like the smell. Holy water only gets me wet and pissed off. A stake through my heart? Well duh! Of course it will kill me, it'll kill you too! Mirrors? How do think I can see to brush my hair or get dressed and put on makeup?"

"So, who made all that stuff up?" asked Roger.

"Us, most likely. It made it easier to hide in plain sight if people thought we had all those powers."

"And the sunlight thing?"

"Oh yes, it definitely affects me, but a brief exposure is not fatal. It just leads to a very bad sunburn, second and third degree burns if I'm out too long.

A day spent in deep sleep will cure most any injury short of a fatal one. I am immortal and I do drink blood on occasion and yes, I have retractable fangs."

"So why the association with bats?"

"Hah! That again. I use bats as an early warning system, I can read their memories and see through their eyes and hear through their ears. No one ever sneaks up on me!"

Roger smiled at her and said amiably, "I have to admit, I've never actually met or talked to an actual vampire before and I have enjoyed our conversation immensely.

I have met a claymore warrior and she was an experience! Very nice actually, but letting her get behind the wheel of an automobile? One very scary ride."

Anna chuckled and remarked, "I've become friends with one, she's one of the youngest and certainly the tallest. Like most of the so called 'supernaturals' they live quietly and avoid the spotlight for survival."

"What is her name? Helen mentioned a few of them by name, but I never met any of the others."

"Sheila, Sheila Ericcson."

Freya, who had been listening quietly suddenly spoke up, "Did ye say 'Sheila'? I've heard that nam'. There is a story abit a Sheila who cam frae th' sooth an' lived amang ur fowk afore th' camin' of th' Scandis."

Anna looked up at her in surprise and exclaimed suddenly, "Do you know where I could see that story? I think that would be a wonderful thing to see!"

Freya paused a few moments and replied thoughtfully, "It was in one ay me granny's books. I ken I saw it because I asked me granny tae tell me more abit th' story of a tall, white haired woman warrior frae the soothern lands."

Anna clapped her hands in delight and declared, "Well, that settles it!"

She looked around the gloomy interior of the huge, old house and said cheerfully, "When can we start cleaning this old place up?"

Roger laughed and exclaimed, "Just like that?"

"Yep! Just like that!"

Anna smiled and said, "I'm doing it purely for very selfish reasons."

"And those would be?"

"I want to see all those books where I can lay hands on them. I want my queen to have access to them, for human and vampire scholars to be able to study them and translate them, to add to our body of knowledge about ancient peoples."

Gushed Anna Karlsen, author of Gothic romance novels and actual vampire.

Closing the heavy doors behind them, Anna reinserted the large key and locked them securely.

She paused a moment to put her big hat back on and pull on her thin gloves to keep the sun's rays from burning her pale skin.

She got between Roger and Freya, took each of them by the hand and they set off, back to their house.

Anna was humming a little snippet of an old show tune as they walked back down the weed and brush choked driveway causing Roger to comment, "You certainly are in fine spirits!"

Anna smiled at him from under the wide brim of her booney hat and said merrily, "Wouldn't you be? I've made two new friends and my old house will live on as a research library filled with very rare books, written in an unknown language!"

Freya smirked and casually remarked, "Nae an unknoon language, me fowk speak it an' we learn it while growin' up."

Anna laughed and said gaily, "Hey now! Let's not be spoiling the mood here, I'm enjoying this immensely!"

Returning to their house, they or rather Anna, was greeted by a nearly frantic Josephine. "Where have you been all morning? We have to start getting ready for tonight at Carlson and Turner's! Honestly, I swear you're going to give me a heart attack!"

Anna smiled at her distraught publicist and allowed herself to be led away to start getting ready.

Roger grinned at Freya and he impulsively hugged her closely, feeling her head briefly resting atop his.

She hugged him back and they held each other for a few moments while he said softly, "We did it, we found a home for her library!"

Freya merely squeezed him gently in reply and they reluctantly parted.

Roger felt a warmth in his chest for a few moments after their lingering hug and noticed that Freya also seemed to have a far away look in her bright blue eyes.

He retreated to his study and resumed working on his report to keep from pondering his feelings.

Freya meanwhile, had gone out to play basketball with Lorna Yamada, one of her friends from school, she suddenly wanted to be with people her own age and to distance herself from her own mixed feelings.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Roger sat staring at his monitor screen, he was stuck on a word and the lingering effects of their hug still distracted him.

He briefly thought back to Ayesha's comment from their first trip to Arizona almost two years before. "Never doubt a lamias instincts! That girl loves you and you are her protector." Why did she have to say that and why was he brooding over it now?

There came a soft rap-rapping on his study door, he answered, "Yes? Who is it?"

The door opened silently and Anna in all her Victorian era finery entered the room.

He smiled and said, "Well, you certainly are a treat for the eyes tonight! Are you guys getting ready to leave?" She smiled shyly and nodded a 'yes'.

Roger stood to get a better look at her as she executed a slow twirl for his benefit and finished it off with a warm smile.

She was very beautiful and his breath caught in his throat before he said softly, "You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever beheld in a lifetime of admiring beautiful women."

She grinned and said coyly, "Better not let Freya hear you say that."

Roger smiled and replied honestly, "Freya has nothing to fear, I already know she will become a true beauty in every sense of the word."

Anna smiled slightly and said softly, "I've already sensed the feelings you two have for each other, even if you won't admit to them, they're still there."

He was about to reply when Josephine came bustling in and said happily, "Well, we're all loaded up and ready to go!"

Roger smiled and walked them out to their rental car.

As he watched the red glow of their taillights disappear around the bend, he saw Freya trotting up the hill towards their house.

Her face was a mask of rage and frustration and her clothing looked a bit torn and tattered, something had happened to her.

Roger ran to her and she grabbed onto him in desperation, clinging to him tightly, he felt the wetness of her tears flowing freely from her eyes and soaking into his shirt.

Roger braced himself as her weight bore down on him while she cried and cried, he tried to ask what had happened, but she just wept freely.

He slowly sagged to the ground and held her tightly.

A car drove into the driveway and he heard the car door slamming while Anna's voice said in a strident tone, "Call them and tell them I can't make it tonight. I will be there tomorrow night and after that, you will go to sleep!"

Moments later, Anna's voice asked gently, "What happened to you? Did someone attack you?...Were you raped?"

Still clinging to Roger, Freya gasped out, "Nae, Ah wasnae raped...Ah was groped...Me friend Lorna an' Ah were playin' an' thes van full ay men stopped an' they grabbed us, Ah fought them off while she got away, 'til four ay them grabbed me arms an' put hands oan me."

Freya seemed to recover some of her composure and the two of them stood up again.

Roger pulled out his car keys and Anna asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

Roger growled, "I'm going to teach them a lesson in instant karma!" as he opened the van door.

Freya cried out , "There were six ay them!"

Roger grinned evilly and remarked, "Then it'll be a fair ass whippin!"

Anna stoutly declared, "Don't you dare leave until I get out of this crap!" then she nearly tore her elaborate outfit off, leaving her in her Victorian era undergarments.

Grabbing the van's passenger side door she said impatiently, "Well? What're you waiting for?"

Minutes later, they were pulling into the parking lot at the playground. A group of men were playing basketball and whooping it up without a care in the world.

Freya said quietly, "Th' tall one, he led them an' groped me."

"Right!" muttered Roger and he exited the van first, strolling casually towards the ball players.

Stopping at the edge of the court he stood there smiling until the tall one Freya had pointed out, stopped playing and said, "Somethin' we can help you with?"

Roger grinned at him and asked innocently, "I was just wondering how tall you are."

He looked at Roger strangely and replied, "Six five, what's it to ya?"

Roger just grinned and replied tauntingly, "I wasn't aware you could stack shit that high!"

The tall man glared and retorted, "If you're lookin' for an ass whippin', you just came to the right place asshole!"

He suddenly lunged at him and Roger deftly stepped aside, grasping the man's outstretched hand with his right hand and using his left hand to hyperextend the man's elbow until a sickening crunch was plainly heard as the over stressed joint gave way.

The tall man fell to the pavement screaming and clutching at his ruined arm, Roger casually stepped alongside him and kicked the side of one of his legs, breaking the knee.

Roger finished him off by administering a couple of vicious kicks to his crotch.

The big man lay crying in agony while his friends all stood around in their uncertainty.

Roger turned to them and said grimly, "There's no point in you guys running, I've got your faces memorized and I will get to you. But first, I want you to meet someone dear to me and the reason why your friend will likely never have kids."

Roger whistled sharply and Freya stepped out of the van, she had taken off her long sleeve shirt and now wore her sleeveless top, her well muscled arms readily apparent.

Moments after that, Anna joined them, a slender, pale skinned blonde with a lithe muscularity and wearing little more than her underwear.

The men recognized Freya at once and one of them muttered, "That's that big bitch we played with!"

Freya glared at him and growled, "There's only a body cheil fa can tooch me an' that's mah future guidman!"

He looked confused and said in puzzlement, "Th' fuck did you just say?"

Freya stepped forward suddenly. Moving swiftly, she slammed a balled up fist into his solar plexus and he instantly doubled up in pain as she grabbed his head and brought her knee up sharply into his face, smashing his nose and staining her faded jeans with his blood.

As he fell to the pavement, his nose a bloody ruin, she hotly declared, "That's fur toochin' me!"

One of the men suddenly pulled a small shiny metal object from a pocket and Anna cried out sharply '"GUN!"

In a blur of movement, she disarmed him and broke his arm all in one motion.

He looked at her in stunned silence as her eyes blazed red while her ruddy lipped mouth opened and sharp fangs emerged from her pink gums.

She easily wrestled him to the pavement and fastened her mouth on his wrist to feed while Roger and Freya quickly finished off the remaining men.

The would be gun man lay there helplessly pinned down while Anna fed on him, his eyes staring vacantly upward at the darkening sky.

Roger and Freya quickly moved to block Anna from view as she fed, to protect her secret while the rest of the men lay unconscious on the pavement.

Anna soon raised her head from the man's wrist and she licked his wounds carefully to hasten the healing process.

Rising from his slumbering form, she went from man to man, carefully fogging and altering their memories of the evening's incident.

They would not remember who had beaten them all up and left them battered and bloodied on the basketball court.

Roger and the two ladies wasted little time in vacating the park playground and as they drove away, Roger looked up at the rear view mirror and saw a police patrol car entering the park.

He muttered half to himself, "I hope nobody saw us back there. Freya stands out so much, I probably should have left her at home."

Anna chuckled softly and remarked, "I fogged the memories of everyone in the vicinity, no one saw who did it, but they'll all think it was gang related."

Freya said grimly, "Ah needed tae be there, Ah needed to punish th' lout who first tooched me. Ah needed tae e'en th' score."

A few minutes later they pulled into the driveway of the house and saw a police car and a nondescript old Toyota mini van waiting there.

Roger muttered, "Oh, shit! This could be trouble."

Standing there were a police sergeant and two civilians, Lorna Yamada and her father Toshiro "Toshi" Yamada.

Standing on the stoop of the house, was a very confused looking Josephine Dumont trying to answer their questions.

Exiting the van, Freya was glommed onto by a frantic Lorna Yamada, "Freya!" she cried, "Are you all right?! They didn't do anything really bad to you did they? I'm so sorry I ran, I should have stayed with you!"

Freya looked down at the girl who was nearly two feet shorter than her and replied, "Ah'm glad yoo're aw right, Ah got away frae them an' came back haem afterwards."

The sergeant approached Roger and as they shook hands in a familiar manner, he said, "We got a report of these jerks attempting to grab two girls who were playing basketball down at the park."

He glanced over at Freya and the Yamadas as they were talking, "Mr. Yamada here reported that his girl and Freya were accosted by these guys and that she got away while Freya stayed behind and fought them off."

Anna stepped out of the van and Josephine gasped, "Where have you been? I've been frantic, I had to cancel the book signing and I 've been trying to reach you on your phone!"

Josephine continued her fussing at Anna as they went into the house unchallenged by Sergeant Jonas, who seemingly did not notice Anna's presence.

Sergeant Jonas turned back to Roger and asked, "I've been monitoring the radio and it seems a patrol car found six men all beaten up and lying unconscious down at the playground.

An ambulance has been dispatched to the scene to pick them up. Would you mind if I looked at your hands?"

Roger merely shrugged and he held out his hands for inspection.

Sergeant Jonas played his flashlight beam over his hands and saw nothing of note, no cuts or any signs of his hands being subjected to a recent traumatic event.

Not seeing anything suspicious about Roger's hands. Sergeant Jonas stepped over to Freya and asked, "Do you mind if I look at your hands?"

Freya hesitated a bit and held out her long fingered hands with the chipped nails.

Sergeant Jonas chuckled softly and said, "Your hands are just like my daughter's, she doesn't worry about keeping her nails neatly trimmed either."

The beam of his flashlight swept across her long legs and the bloodstain showed plainly just above her right knee.

"Oh? What happened here?" he asked, keeping his light on the bloodstain.

"How did this happen? Your pants aren't torn. Care to explain this?"

Freya looked very uncomfortable and when she looked to Roger for an answer, he could only say,

"Answer his question dear, everything will be fine."

She drew breath and replied, "Ah was at th' playground wi' mah mukker as' these loots cam up tae us an' began tryin' tae grab us.

Ah fooght wi' them an' Lorna got awa', fower ay them grabbed mah arms an' held me while th' other twa groped atween mah legs an' inside mah sark.

Ah broke free an' cam haem. Ah foond Roger an' we cam back tae teach them a lesson.

Miss Anna joined us an' we taught them a lesson. Ah got th' bluid oan mah keks when ah broke his beak wi' mah knee."

Sergeant Jonas blinked a couple of times and he slowly replied, "Let me see if I got this... These guys started grabbing you and your friend...

You fought an she got away... They pinned your arms and groped you in a lewd manner...

You got away and came home to get Roger, you were joined by this 'Miss Anna' and you three went back and taught them a lesson.

And somehow, blood got on your pants during all of this?"

Sergeant Jonas looked at Freya expectantly and she nodded a 'yes', he glanced over at Roger and said somewhat testily, "You didn't mention any of this to me, why not?"

Roger smiled at him and replied pleasantly, "No disrespect intended sergeant, but you never actually asked if I was involved in any of this. You only looked at my hands for any cuts from being in a fight."

Sergeant Jonas gave him an expressionless look and muttered, "I can do without the barracks lawyer tricks. I know you're ex military and probably know a few things about kicking ass without messing up your hands."

Roger smirked and replied mildly, "Okay, fair enough. Freya came home very upset and we went to go deal with those idiots.

I know I should've called you guys in, but those assholes would've just denied everything even with Freya and Lorna both swearing on a stack of bibles.

Anna decided to join us and it's a good thing she did, because one them pulled a gun and she disarmed him, accidentally breaking his arm in the process."

"Do you know where that gun went?"

"Not a clue, it happened pretty quickly and I was kinda busy at the time."

"Yes, you were busy committing mayhem at the time."

"It was also three against six, so that whole Marquis of Queensbury rules thing was not happening."

"Point taken. Tell you what I'm gonna do, I'm going to edit your statements a little bit to minimize your role in their beating. The officers who responded, haven't found any witnesses to what happened, so I can only go by your own statements. I'm almost tempted to walk away from this and let it go."

Freya, who had been listening quietly spoke up, "What does thes mean? Arenae I in trooble?"

Sergeant Jonas smiled up at her and replied, "You didn't do anything wrong, though officially, you should have let the police handle this. You do have the right to defend yourself and you exercised that right pretty well, apparently."

Freya looked greatly relieved and she and Lorna hugged briefly to everyone's delight.

Sergeant Jonas was about to get in his car when he stopped and asked, "By the way...How old are you now Freya?"

"Twelve summers." she replied.

He gaped and said, "Waitaminnit! You're only twelve years old? I keep forgetting how young you are because of your size!"

He frowned and called his subordinates down at the playground.

When the officer in charge responded, Sergeant Jonas remarked, "You might want to add child molesting to the charges against the detainees, these girls are only twelve years old and one of them was groped pretty thoroughly. Also, look around for a gun, one was pulled during the fight and may still be in the area."

Closing his phone Sergeant Jonas said, "I'm going down to the park to see what I can find out. I'm letting this slide for now, so keep it clean people."

He stepped into his patrol car and soon, they watched his taillights disappearing around the bend.

For several moments, no one spoke until Roger said, "Would you like to come in for a bit of tea or something?"

Lorna looked at her father and he smiled slightly, she smiled at Roger and replied, "Tea would be very nice, thank you!"

He led them inside where they found Anna and Josephine sipping tea in the kitchen.

Anna had changed into something a bit more demure while Josephine still wore a pantsuit.

Roger smiled at her and said pleasantly, "Somehow you escaped notice while we were talking with Sergeant Jonas."

Anna merely smiled and replied coyly, "A skill I acquired over the years to avoid overly enthusiastic fans."

"Ah."

Roger introduced Anna and Josephine to the Yamadas and said, "They're here to attend a couple of book signing events and I invited them to stay with us."

Toshiro Yamada smiled and nodded politely while Lorna remarked, "I've heard of your books, one of our classmates likes to read them and she's always writing stuff of her own."

Glancing at Freya's looming form she asked her, "What's her name?...Anita, Anita Larsen, that's it! She's a little out there, but she's always been nice to me."

Anna smiled at Lorna and said amiably, "We met at Powell's a couple of nights ago and had coffee together afterwards. She's actually very nice and she's a very talented young writer, I gave her my contact info so we can stay in touch."

Lorna grinned and said cheerfully, "That's pretty cool, I'll bet she was really stoked about that!"

Toshiro Yamada glanced at the wall clock and said regretfully, "It has been nice and we're glad to know you're okay Freya. Unfortunately, we do have to be at the shop early tomorrow morning to get everything ready to open, but Lorna was very concerned about your well being and would not let up until I brought her here. "

He briefly glanced around at the interior of the parlour, his eyes sweeping over the bookcases and display cases.

He smiled and remarked, "I see now what she meant by your house is like living in a museum."

Lorna squirmed and exclaimed, "Dad! You're embarrassing me!"

Roger laughed and replied cheerfully, "It's all my fault actually, and you should have seen it before I donated much of my collection to the museum I work for. It was more like a warehouse back then!"

Mr. Yamada chuckled and remarked, "Like that scene in that movie, with the Ark being boxed up and stored in a vast warehouse?"

Roger grinned and replied, "Well, not quite that bad, but close!"

Toshiro smiled and commented, "My grandparents house in Hokkaido has a storage building like that, it's full of old things left over from centuries ago. My uncle in Japan pretty much keeps track of it and resists the idea of getting rid of it."

Roger smiled and remarked, "I could easily become friends with your uncle. It must be very nice to know your family's roots like that. I grew up in foster homes and know almost nothing about my family, except my name."

They walked the Yamadas out to their van and thanked them for their concern, promising to come in for a nice bowl of ramen very soon.

Watching the taillights disappearing around the bend, Roger felt Freya taking his hand in hers, a habit of hers since they'd first met, except now her long fingered hand was larger than his.

He squeezed her hand and said quietly, "I know you held back on those jerks, otherwise, we'd be dealing with a manslaughter in self defense case. For whatever it's worth, thank you for your restraint."

Freya let go of his hand and swept him into her arms, holding him closely as she murmured, "I wanted tae hurt them badly fur what they did, it hurt me tae get tooched like 'at. If I wasnae representin' me fowk, I woods have held naethin' back."

Roger gently squeezed his towering young companion as she wept almost silently while he held her, his head nestled between her budding breasts.

He closed his eyes and simply held her for as long as she needed it.

His shirt was fairly damp by the time he and Freya separated and went inside the house.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

They found Anna sitting alone in the kitchen, a fresh cup of tea in front of her.

She rose from her chair and embraced Freya fiercely while murmuring, "I sooo wanted to really hurt those idiots for what they did. I don't regret what I did by feeding on that lout, he's lucky I didn't drain him."

Roger laid out cups and saucers, spooned out tea leaf portions, poured the hot water and got out a box of tea biscuits for a nibbly.

He looked up at Freya and Anna and was struck by the height difference between them.

Anna stood about five foot four while Freya stood several inches over seven feet tall.

After separating and sitting down to tea, Anna remarked casually, "Josie's gone off to bed, I'm afraid I've tried her patience tonight and I'll make it up to her somehow. I just couldn't ignore your anguish Freya dear. I just could not, not help someone I care for, not while they're in so much pain."

She smiled at the giant girl-child sitting across from her and said, "I know we've just met, you and young Anita, but I feel a sense of friendship with both of you and would like to develop those friendships."

She paused while Roger, in his host capacity refreshed her tea and got out more biscuits.

"I want both of you to be involved with the refurbishment of my house and the establishment of it as a research library. There will be additional buildings added as time goes by and you both could easily make it a career, if you're so inclined."

Roger smiled and remarked, "Let's not forget my original intent for wanting your place to begin with."

Freya rolled her bright blue eyes and remarked, "He's got a crush oan a lassie a third his size, a lassie an' 'er big wolf."

Anna grinned and commented, "I wouldn't know about that dear, he cares very much for you. Are you sure he's not more interested in that 'big wolf' as you describe her?"

Freya grinned at her and replied, "He's always puttin' his hans oan 'at big wolf, he scratches behind 'er lugs an' she gets all tongue lollin' out of 'er mouth an' 'er eyes close up an' she lays doon oan th' fluir all limp like."

Anna burst out laughing and gleefully replied, "And what female of any species wouldn't enjoy getting a good scratching like that! Never mind roses, give me a good back scratching any time!"

Roger grinned, winked broadly and replied, "You found me out! It's all about getting my hands on that giant wolf. Never mind the little cutie who rides her, I'm just toying with her heart to get to that big wolf!"

Freya looked at him with a deadpan expression and remarked. "If I didnae ken ye verra well, I'd think ye were serioos."

Anna giggled and said lightly, "I suppose you're using her granny's books as bait to reel me into your clutches?"

"Those and my boyish good looks. How're they workin'?" quipped Roger with a grin.

"Let me get back to you on that." retorted Anna gleefully.

Fighting back a yawn, Roger commented, "I don't know about you two, but I'm feeling my age here. I'm calling it a night and I'll see you lovelies in the morning."

Anna smiled at him and said, "I'll be up a little while longer, I want to jot down a few thoughts about today, and I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Freya stood up at the same time he did and announced, "I'm goin' tae bed too, I'll see ye on th' morrow. Guid nicht!"

As they left the kitchen, she caught his hand and held onto it.

Roger glanced up at her and said softly, "You may stay the night with me if you wish, I always have room in my bed for you." Freya smiled back at him and nodded in reply.

At the top of the stairs, they went to the left to his room, instead of her going to the right and her room.

Anna noted that and smiled to herself, they did love each other very deeply, even if they wouldn't acknowledge it.

She found herself feeling a bit envious of Freya, so secure in her relationship with Roger.

Feeling a little peckish, Anna opened up the portable cooler she'd brought with her and lifted out a soft pouch filled with a thick, dark, reddish fluid.

She idly noted there were five pouches left, enough for ten more days of travel time.

Extending her sharp fangs, she bit into the pouch and began sucking out the nutrients inside.

The type A-positive blood was delicious, freely given blood was always sweeter and she was quietly thankful for the connection she had made with the blood bank.

Her letter of approval for blood withdrawals came from the office of Stephanie Chin Md, county medical examiner for the City of Los Angeles, California, her adopted hometown.

Sunday morning and the sun rose through the morning clouds.

It was cool in Roger's bedroom or it would have been if not for the large presence of Freya sleeping alongside him, her well over seven foot length stretched out and her long arms holding him close to her.

Roger enjoyed the warmth of her large body against his for a little while after he woke up, then nature's call intervened and he slipped out of the bed to pad softly down the hall to their bathroom.

With the pressure now relieved and his face washed and dried off, he returned to his bedroom and gazed briefly at Freya's long limbed form lying there, sleeping like an angel.

He paused a few moments, then he gently shook her awake while saying, "C'mon sleepyhead, we've got breakfast to make for our guests."

Freya's bright blue eyes opened and she looked up at him with a smile as she said, "Thank ye fur lettin' me sleep wi' yer lest nicht."

He smiled at her and replied, "Not a problem dear, you're always welcome. You know that of course?"

She rose from the bed and padded off to the bathroom first, and then to her own bedroom to dress.

Roger soon had a large skillet filled with eggs and bacon and hash browns all sizzling at once, while he deftly filled the coffee cups with freshly brewed coffee and buttered the toast as it popped out of the toaster.

Freya and the others, lured by the cloying scent of his cooking, entered the breakfast nook one by one and took their seats while Roger loaded their plates with food.

Josephine blinked at her plate of food and commented glumly, "I haven't eaten a breakfast this big in a long time, I don't think I'll be able to even come close to finishing it."

Freya glanced over at her plate and remarked cheerfully, "It's nae problem Miss Josephine, jist give me what you don't want, I'll eat it."

Roger joined them and as they ate, Josephine declared firmly, "We changed last night's book signing to tonight, so don't be haring off on some wild adventure now...Anna, I'm talking to you."

Anna grinned at her long time publicist and replied with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes, "Yes ma'am! I'll be good, I promise!"

Josephine simply smiled and sipped her coffee in reply.

Anna turned to Roger and asked, "What are your plans for today?"

He set down his coffee cup and replied, "I thought I would do a little cutting away of some growth around the doors and windows of your old house."

Anna grinned at him and teased, "Can't wait for the landscapers, eh?"

Roger just grinned back at her, "Yeah, something like that. I want to get some good photos of the house as it is, to send to my boss.

That way, she'll have something to show to the board of directors, so they'll cut us some funds for the work to be done before opening the house up as a library."

The phone in the hallway interrupted with its jangling ring and Freya quickly answered it. She turned away and talked in low tones for a few minutes while the others finished up the remnants of their breakfasts.

Finishing the call, Freya hung up the old fashioned ear piece and said quietly, "That was Anita, I tauld 'er were gonnae tae be daein' some yard work next duir an' she still wants tae come any way."

Roger merely shrugged and commented, "I hope she realizes that goth-loli clothing isn't suited for brush clearing."

Freya smiled slightly and remarked, "I did tell 'er that an' she said she understuid."

Anna just smiled and said amiably, "I think she just wants to visit, we can let her see the old house in all its decay. I think she'll get a real charge out of the experience."

Roger laughed and said cheerfully, "Oh yes, a haunted mansion will be quite an experience for her. When is she coming?"

Freya glanced at the wall clock and said, "In aboot thirty minutes or sae."

Roger grinned and remarked, "Good. We can have all the tools and our lunch ready by then."

Anna grinned and rose from her seat, Josephine looked at her in surprise and asked, "And where are you going?"

Anna smiled at her incredibly tolerant publicist and said happily, "Why, I am going with them to help out a little bit.

It is my great grandmother's house after all.

Don't you fret none Josie dearest, I'll be back in plenty of time to bathe and play dressup like a proper author going to her doom!"

To everyone's surprise Josephine declared, "I am coming too, I want to see this house that all of you are fretting over. It isn't a long hike, is it?"

Anna laughed gaily and said happily, "No Josie dearest, it is not a long hike at all."

She grinned at Josephine and remarked, "We'll make an adventurer out of you yet!"

Josephine just wrinkled up her nose and retorted, "This is a one time deal, I just want to see this house you've all talked about. Don't get any ideas!"

With that detail settled, lunches were packed and drink was arranged while Roger collected a few tree trimming tools for the house.

Anita Larsen's mother pulled her car up into their driveway and she got out with her daughter Anita in tow.

The two of them stood still while looking over the lines of the outsized craftsman house Freya called home.

Seeing them outside looking around, Roger stepped outside and waved, "C'mon in, the house is fine!"

Helen Larsen grinned at him and replied, "I didn't know you guys lived here! This house was built for a retired circus giant couple, they were both over eight feet tall and the house was built to fit them."

As they entered the house, she remarked, "I've never been inside here before, this is pretty cool!"

Anita looked around inside the house with her pale blue eyes very wide.

Roger smiled at noticing her wearing faded jeans and a long sleeved top, much like Freya's typical daily wear with stout shoes covering her feet.

Roger grinned at her and asked, "Are you ready to go see Anna's great grandmother's house?"

Anita's wide grin was her reply and he commented, "I'll take that as a 'yes'!"

Helen smiled at Roger and said amiably, "I had heard that Freya's house was described as like being in a museum and frankly, after seeing it. I think it is way cooler."

So what time do I come back to get you?" Helen asked Anita.

The girl shrugged and replied, "I'm not sure, we're going to look at this old house this afternoon and I don't know how long it will take."

Josephine cleared her throat and said, "Anna has a book signing this evening and we have to get back around three to get her ready for the signing. So we shouldn't be too long."

Roger chimed in with, "Anita's welcome to have dinner with us if she likes. We'll probably eat out rather than making anything for dinner."

Helen grinned broadly and said, "That's fine with me, just give me a call when you're ready to come home, okay? Honey?"

Anita nodded a 'yes' enthusiastically and after giving her mom a hug, Helen got into her car and drove back down the hill.

They stopped at the heavy gate to her property and before Anna unlocked the gates, she turned towards Anita and Josephine and declared, "You are welcome here!"

The gate groaned somewhat more politely this time as it opened.

This led Anna to remark, "A few more applications of oil and regular use and this gate will no longer complain so much."

Stepping through, they paused briefly while Anna locked the gates back up.

The trail this time was much more distinct and before long, they stood en masse before the great crumbling manse of Anastasia Karloff, AKA Anna Karlsen.

Both Josephine and Anita stood still, taking in the view.

The ground floor had a twelve foot ceiling and a row of ground level windows and vents hinted at the basement underneath the big house.

A second floor had ten foot ceilings while the third and final floor had eight foot ceilings. The central part of the house was a great octagon some eighty feet across, with three wings radiating out from it like a hub.

The walls of the octagon reared upwards some thirty five feet and was surmounted by a sort of pyramidal shaped roof capped by a glassed in 'lantern' atop the entire house. Architecturally simple, yet still imposing. The house itself was one hundred eighty feet wide and stood about fifty five feet high at the lantern.

A number of towering Rowan trees obscured the bulk of the house from view and Roger said, "The growth around the house is pretty heavy in places and will require cutting back to clear the house again."

They stood silently gazing at the mass of stone and ivy and trees until it was Anita who broke the silence, "Ohhh Myyy Gawdd! This is sooo freaking coooll! I can't believe no one lives here, what a great house for haunting! Please tell me it has ghosts?"

She turned with pleading eyes to Anna.

Anna chuckled and said gently, "Sorry dear, there are no ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, in this house. I hope you're not too disappointed."

Anita stuck out her lower lip in a brief pout but said amiably, "I don't really believe in that stuff, but it would've been cool!"

Josephine asked more practically, "Any idea how big it is? Bedrooms, bathrooms and closet space? Are those basement windows I see?" she asked.

Anna replied, "I have no idea about all that, we went inside the other day, but didn't go too far into the house. Parts of it inside are pretty dark and Roger had his flashlight out."

Anna held up a stout key and grinned, "Want to look inside?"

Josephine blanched visibly and asked nervously, "Are there spiders inside? I can't stand spiders!"

Freya suddenly chuckled and said dryly, "Then ye wooldnae like me friend Zenobia, she's an arachne."

Josephine looked at her blankly and asked, "What's an arachne?"

Freya grinned slyly and replied, "She looks like a spider aboot eight tae ten feet across an' taller than Roger here."

Josephine blurted out, "Oh, hell no! No, no, no! I'm not dealing with any spider that big!"

Freya grinned evilly this time and commented, "I guess I shooldnae gab aboot me friend who is a lamia then."

Josephine stared at her and said hesitantly, "Lamia? That isn't one of those 'snake goddesses' Anna wrote about is it?"

With an innocent look to her bright blue eyes, Freya replied, "Aye ay coorse!"

Josephine shuddered and remarked, "What other weird creatures do you hang around with?" "A wood wife an' 'er great guardian wolf."

With a sigh of relief, Josephine commented, "A wolf sounds fairly normal to me, but what is a 'wood wife'?"

Anita spoke up this time in answer, "A wood wife is like an elf, they live mostly in the forests, but some will form a bond with a family and they'll help out around the house in exchange for food and shelter."

Anna finally came to her publicist's rescue and said amiably, "You two, stop teasing my friend here, she has enough on her mind besides worrying about spiders and the like."

Anita grimaced and said contritely, "Sorry if I upset you, Miss Josephine."

Josephine smiled at the young girl and said gently, "It's okay, hearing about weird stuff kind of goes with the territory when you work with an author like Anna."

Freya meanwhile, had joined Roger in carefully trimming away the dense ivy that had partially blocked the front doors.

The two tugged and clipped and pulled and clipped some more until the front doors stood clear of the enveloping ivy.

For good measure, they cleared away a couple of the tall windows on each side of the doorway, to let in more light.

Without being asked, Anita had joined them in carrying away the clippings while Anna and Josephine watched and took photos.

Stepping back to admire their work, Roger grinned at Anna and said, "Madame, your key, if you please?"

Anna smiled at him and slipped her key into the heavy doors.

Moments later, there was a soft clattering of lock internals and she pushed the doors open with nary a protest from the hinges to reveal a gloomy interior.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Roger dug around in his 'bag of tricks' as he called it and pulled out five small flashlights.

He handed them out and said, "The batteries are good for about five hours, but we'll be back outside again long before that."

Once inside, the flashlights came on and their beams played about the dim interior of the big house.

Tell tale footprints in the dust showed where they had gone the last time they had visited the house, so it was decided to explore the other parts hitherto unseen.

Anita and Freya chose to go up the grand staircase and explore the second story.

Roger struck out on his own while Anna led Josephine through the areas they'd already seen.

He had descended into the basement and was examining the ancient boiler and furnace.

Idly, he noticed that area was quite clean and free of dust.

"This is odd." he muttered to himself, "The dust down here should be quite deep."

His flashlight beam swept across a set of paw prints in a dusty area, a wolf's paw prints, except they were positively enormous.

He rounded a corner and his beam fell fully onto the enormous gray furred body of a gigantic wolf.

Three things happened all at once, he screamed, "Holy shit!"

The wolf growled and the tiny blonde girl standing there screamed, "Roger? Is 'at ye?!" Moments later, the huge wolf knocked him down and was frantically licking his face while the tiny blonde was crying happily, "Roger! It's sae guid tae see ye again mah mukker!"

When he was able to get back up again, Roger exclaimed, "Dena?! Sasha? What're you guys doing here? When did you get here and when's the last time you both ate?"

He found himself getting glommed onto by the tiny wood wife and he picked her up and held her closely while she happily kissed him several times square on the lips.

Dena was clearly not caring a whit about their size difference or what Freya might think.

Dena happily snuggled in his arms while he bent over and picked up his fallen flashlight.

He played the beam over Sasha's gaunt flanks and muttered in concern, "When was the last time you had a good meal girl?"

His hand could feel her ribs beneath her deep fur as he spoke.

Roger looked both of them over, they were clearly travel weary and could use a good meal and a warm bath or at least Dena could use a bath, Sasha needed a bath and a brushing.

They heard footsteps approaching, saw a flashlight beam moving about and heard Freya's voice calling out, "Roger? Whaur ur ye? What war that screamin' Ah heard? Are ye aw right?"

Roger called out, "I'm all right and I'm right here with a couple of friends!"

Freya and Anita rounded the same corner he had, but this time there was no screams of surprise, only an exclamation, "Sasha?! Dena? What ur ye daein' here?"

Freya caught Dena as she leapt into her arms and threw her arms around Freya's neck while Sasha pranced about, wanting her greeting too.

For the second time that day, Anita cried, "Ohhh, My Gawd! You guys are sooo cool!" Her voice carried well because Anna's voice could now be heard calling out, "What's going on down there?"

Roger said cheerfully, "C'mon you guys, I want you to meet the owner of this house you're hiding in."

He turned and bellowed, "We're all good, we're coming up now!"

They quickly made their way back to the staircase and climbed up to the ground floor once more.

Emerging from the dark of the basement, Roger blinked slightly at the sudden increase in light and smiled at Anna and Josephine.

He said cheerfully, "You'll never guess who I found in your basement!" and stepped aside.

Emerging from the doorway was Freya carrying a large doll, while walking besides Anita was an immense gray wolf, a gray wolf she could easily ride if she so desired.

Josephine cried out, "Oh, my goodness! Is that a wolf? I didn't know they got so large, will it bite?"

Dena turned in Freya's arms and cried indignantly, "Sasha wulnae bite ye, dinnae be concerned!"

Josephine gaped while Anna guffawed and said happily, "Josie, you have nothing to fear from that wolf. She is a guardian wolf and the 'doll' is a wood wife, if I'm correct!"

Anna smiled at the two of them and said graciously, "Of all the trespassers I could have found hiding in my basement, I think I would welcome you two the most. Welcome to my home!" she said and bowed slightly towards them.

Roger suddenly asked, "Has anyone been in the kitchen here? I need a large bowl."

Anna thought briefly and remarked, "I walked through a kitchen, everything seemed to be still there, although I didn't look in any of the cabinets."

She paused and said suddenly, "I'll be right back!" and trotted off into the gloom with the dancing flashlight beam preceding her slender form.

Roger in the meantime, got out his lunch and cheerfully gave it to Sasha, who equally cheerfully, gobbled it up.

Freya, Anita and Josephine quickly followed suit and by the time Anna, carrying a heavy porcelain bowl had returned.

Sasha had eaten all their lunches and belched appreciatively.

Roger took the bowl and after wiping it out with his hand, he set it down and emptied his water bottle into it for Sasha to lap up with little dignity remaining.

Seeing her thirstiness, the rest quickly joined in, adding their own water to the bowl until the last of the water was gone.

Once Sasha's hunger and thirst were partially sated. Roger rounded on them and demanded, "Why did you come down here? When did you get here?" and "Are you crazy? What if you had been seen!" finally, "Jeeze, don't scare me like this!" he raved.

Dena, with a look of utter innocence replied, "We hud tae come, Sasha missed ye sae an' I missed ye tae!"

She grinned, "we got haur twa days ago an' started cleanin' in the basement ay thes hoose."

Raising one adorable eyebrow, she commented, " Us gie seen? By maur men? Hah!"

Dena climbed down from Freya's arms and strode up to Roger, she reached up and Roger stooped to pick her up while she snuggled into his arms.

In front of everybody, Dena planted a doll sized kiss on his lips and said, "Ah ne'er intended tae scaur ye Roger hen, Ah jist wanted tae be near ye an' Freya. Aam sorry if Ah upset ye."

He smiled at her warmly and replied gently, "I forgive you little one. It's just that you guys really surprised me and we really don't have a good place for you to stay, just yet."

Roger looked squarely at Anita and Josephine and said politely, "I would appreciate it if you two kept quiet about these two, at least for now."

Anita grinned hugely and replied cheerfully, "Are you kidding? These two have given me some great ideas for a story, I'm going into hiding to write this all down!"

She slowly reached out and gently scratched Sasha behind her ear, earning a lick in appreciation and causing the small girl to squeal in delight.

"That tickles!" she cried happily as the enormous wolf gently nudged her for more attention, which she happily doled out with yet more ear scratching.

Josephine stood quietly watching all this until she asked, "So, what kind of a wolf is she and why is she so big?"

Roger cleared his throat and replied, "Sasha is a great guardian wolf, her kind and the wood elves crossed over the Atlantic with the Jotuns when they left northern Europe.

Freya here, really knows far more about this than I do. I can say with some confidence that Sasha's kind were likely the inspiration for the Fenris story, the giant Wolf of Ragnarok fame."

Josephine mulled that over for a few moments then remarked, "So many beings out of legend coming out of hiding. What else can we expect to see? It's almost too unsettling in a way."

Her further musings were interrupted by a charming little melody that suddenly began without warning.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and laughed, "That's my alarm!"

She looked at Anna and declared firmly, "We have to get back to get ready for tonight's book signing!"

Josephine was now in charge and she urged them to leave the house and head back to Roger and Freya's house without further delay.

This time, they had a giant gray wolf and a two foot tall wood wife returning with them.

Anna was whisked away by Josephine while Roger rummaged around in the kitchen and scrounged up more food for Sasha and Dena to eat.

Freya and Anita teamed up in the kitchen and whomped up a delicious supper for all of them, while Roger took off to get more food for Sasha.

Anna reemerged, freshly bathed and dressed in an appropriate Goth-loli outfit.

She managed to cadge a few bites of their cooking before Josephine with gentle persistence, hustled her out of the door and off to Carlson and Turner books.

Freya then built a cheery fire in the living room fireplace while Sasha stretched out on the oriental rug to snooze.

Dena had disappeared for a little while and returned with a hand towel wrapped around her tiny self, looking freshly scrubbed and quite pleased with herself.

Anita was sitting there quietly with her pale blue eyes almost shimmering with happiness, she had spent most of the day hanging out with her favorite author exploring a huge, old house.

She'd met a giant wolf and her tiny elf companion and realized that her really tall classmate was not a freak of nature.

She was a being out of mythology and she talked funny because English was not her native language and she normally wrote in runes, rather than the English alphabet.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Roger soon returned from his foray into the big warehouse store downtown.

The van was loaded with cases and cases of canned dog food, several large chew bones and a half dozen big bags of dog kibble.

Parking in the driveway, he tooted the horn and began unloading the back of the van.

Freya and Anita came outside and began lugging his purchases inside the house and setting them down on the big dining room table for the moment.

Roger briefly peeked into the living room and saw Dena curled up in a wing chair sound asleep while Sasha chased rabbits in her sleep.

As they piled all the dog food into an empty cabinet Freya muttered, "I hope she's nae a picky eater! I ne'er seen thes much dog food afore in a hoose."

Roger smiled at her and said grimly, "I'm thinking about all the poop she's going to make, keeping up with it is going to be a full time job!"

Anita bravely volunteered, "I'd be willing to come over and help clean up after her, if you'd like."

Roger chuckled and replied cheerfully, "You're a guest, little one and guests don't clean up yard poops!"

Freya giggled and remarked, "I thenk Dena will be cleanin' up after 'er wolf, I don't recall seein' onie poops lying aboot back haem."

"Well, once the house next door is all fixed up and livable again. Sasha will have twenty five acres to poop in so it won't be an issue then." mused Roger as they finished putting away the last of the bags of dry dog kibble.

The great grandfather clock in the front hallway chimed eight times, it was now eight o'clock and Anita had been with them since about twelve noon.

She reluctantly opened her phone and punched 'Home'. Moments later she said cheerfully, "Hi mom! I'm ready to come home now." a few moments later, "I had the best time! We explored Anna's great grandmother's house next door and scared ourselves silly letting our imaginations run wild!" She exclaimed, then a pause, "Oh gosh yes, the house is really huge. It's like three stories high and I have no idea how many bedrooms and bathrooms." another, longer pause, "Of course I got ideas, I had a lot of inspiration today!" a shorter pause, "I'll see you when you get here and, thanks mom!"

Closing up her phone again, Anita smiled and said happily, "I really appreciate you guys letting me come over on such short notice. I haven't had this much excitement since forever. Hanging out with Anna was one thing, but exploring her great grandmother's house and meeting Sasha and Dena? Wow! That was pretty cool."

She grinned and said, "I fully expect a three A.M. Plot bunny to hit me tonight and I'll be up the rest of the night trying to get it all down. So, if I look like a zombie at school tomorrow? You'll know why!"

Her mother arrived shortly after that and Freya walked her out to her mom's minivan.

They exchanged hugs and pleasantries and soon after, she got into her mom's minivan and they drove off down the hill.

Returning to the house, Freya saw that Roger had laid out a tea tray and some light comestibles just for them.

Retiring to the parlour to let Sasha and Dena sleep, they settled into the smaller settee there while Roger poured the water for the tea and served up a few delicacies for her to eat.

Freya enjoyed the attention she was getting from him and sipped at her tea just before sampling one of the light pastries Roger had brought home for her to enjoy.

For all her size, Freya could be quite dainty when she chose to be, and she rarely let that side of her show around others.

Roger had a way of bringing it out in her and she enjoyed letting him see it.

Finishing their tea and light snack, Freya relaxed while Roger put the tray in the kitchen for later.

He sat down beside her on the small sofa and she leaned against him affectionately, he turned to look at her and she smiled shyly just before she kissed him gently on the lips.

Moments later, their lips parted and she said very softly, "That was me first kiss, I wanted ye tae hae it."

Roger smiled slightly and murmured, "I'm very flattered my dear, but let's keep our heads about this. Okay?"

Freya smiled at him shyly and rested her head on his shoulder, content to be close to him.

A few minutes later, they drifted off to sleep, snuggled together on the small settee in the front parlour.

It was just after midnight when Anna and Josephine returned from her last book signing event at Carlson and Turner Books in Portland, Oregon.

The final event had gone smoothly and they happily sold out all the copies in stock of her latest book, while she got to meet many of her ardent fans.

The house was quiet as they entered and while passing by the front parlour, Anna noticed Roger and Freya snuggled together and sound asleep on the small settee.

She turned to Josephine and held up a gloved finger to her well formed lips as they slipped past the front parlour and went into Anna's room down the side hall.

Once the door was closed, Josephine remarked, "Those two are pretty close, aren't they? I guess that would explain why he's not married, a girl that big would scare off any marriage minded female!"

Anna smiled as she shrugged out of the Victorian outfit she was wearing and replied, "She definitely loves him and he loves her, but he's being the responsible adult in this relationship and keeping her at a distance.

When she reaches adulthood, Roger won't be able to fend her off any longer with that 'you're underage' excuse."

She grinned and said roguishly, "I'll almost feel sorry for him once she puts her arms around him for real, it will be the ride of his life!"

Josephine pretended to look shocked and whispered hoarsely, "Why Anna Karlsen? You're positively awful!" and broke into the giggles.

Roger woke up suddenly and realized that he and Freya were still in the front parlour where they had fallen asleep together.

They had slept through the chiming of at least two hours by the huge grandfather clock.

He rose stiffly and worked a few kinks out of his neck before he gently jostled Freya awake. Her bright blue eyes opened suddenly and she sat up looking around in puzzlement.

"Wha?!"

"We fell asleep on the settee together." remarked Roger, "I guess we were more tired that we thought!"

Rising from the small settee, she stretched like only she could with her long limbs reaching for the high ceiling.

Roger stepped over to the front window and looked to see Anna's rented Toyota sitting in the driveway, "Well, they're back from the book signing, I guess they've gone off to bed themselves."

Leaving the front parlour, they peeked into the living room and saw that the fire had died down to glowing embers and was casting a soft, ruddy glow over the slumbering forms of Sasha and Dena still curled up where they had fallen asleep earlier.

Roger took a knitted afghan from the hall closet and carefully laid it over Dena's tiny form, then he slipped back out of the living room and they both went to their respective bedrooms.

The jangling alarm rudely interrupted a rather pleasant dream Roger was having, one involving a towering red head, a picnic basket and a blanket.

He opened his eyes and got out of bed to shut off the alarm before padding down the hallway to enter the bathroom they both shared.

A quick toilet break and brief shower later, Roger was leaving the bathroom as a sleepy eyed young giantess was coming in.

With a bit more of a spring in his step, Roger returned to his bedroom and quickly dressed for the day.

A few minutes later, he entered the kitchen and was greeted by the sight of a two foot tall, very blonde elf girl watching as her immense, fur clad companion happily plowed into a large bowl of food.

Thankfully, she was dressed this time as he was just not ready to be seeing a naked girl so early in the morning, even if she was only two feet tall.

Dena the wood wife smiled at him and said in her squeak of a voice, "Thenk ye sae much fur gettin' Sasha aw thes scran. She hasnae pure eaten since we left th' village an' she's tint a lot ay weecht!"

Roger smiled at his tiny guest and said quietly, "I was shocked when I touched her and I could feel her ribs sticking out so much.

To be honest, I bought all that food not knowing if she would even touch it." he grinned and quipped, "I'm glad I don't have to donate all of it to the local animal shelter!"

Freya came in and started up the coffee maker while Roger got out his favorite large skillet and began heating it up while he was cracking and stirring up a few eggs.

He whomped up a nice omelet for himself, Freya and Dena who smiled happily as he laid a small saucer with her portion on the breakfast table, he even got out a tiny fork and spoon for her, causing Freya to mutter,"Yoo're spoilin' that wee elf!"

Roger only grinned at his tall housemate as he sat down and dug in.

They finished up their breakfast and Roger made ready to take Freya to school.

Before leaving he said to Dena, "Be careful about letting Sasha out to use the bathroom, if a neighbor sees her, it could get a little crazy."

Dena grinned at him and replied, "Nae a body will see us, I'll tak' 'er tae th' place next duir." He gave her a 'thumbs up' and they left the house.

A few minutes later, and they pulled into the student drop off zone. Anita was standing there with Lorna Yamada, Lorna looked Monday morning fresh while Anita even dressed fairly sedately, looked like a zombie attack survivor.

Roger smiled and said amiably, "She wasn't kidding about staying up late to write."

Freya leaned over and pecked him on his cheek while saying, "See ye later, have a guid day!" "You too dear, I'll see you this afternoon!"

Returning home, he entered the house to see Anna awake and sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee before her.

Sitting across from her was Dena perched on a tiny chair Roger had found in a doll shop.

"Have you eaten?" he asked her, Dena opened her mouth and Roger said crisply, "I just fed you, you can't be hungry again?"

Anna laughed and said merrily, "No, I haven't eaten. Dena here is quite interesting. Did you know that her kind is pretty much immortal, their lives are so long? She's actually older than I am!"

He smiled and once again, began heating up the skillet. Before long, he laid a plate with a fresh omelet on it before Anna and said, "Bon Appetit!"

Josephine sleepily entered the kitchen and smiled when Roger handed her a cup of coffee and asked, "How do you want your eggs?"

She glanced over at Anna's food and said, "I'll have the same thing, I'm too tired to be picky!"

After delivering a fresh omelet to Josephine, Roger sat down across from them with his own coffee and asked, "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

Anna smiled and replied, "Josie and I are heading home this afternoon, so I plan on relaxing a bit and thinking about what we're going to do with my house."

She glanced over at Dena who was still perched in her own chair and sipping from her own miniature coffee cup, then commented, "Dena and Sasha being here now has changed a few things. I want to see if I can rope a friend into coming back here with me and staying with me while I get the renovation efforts underway."

She smiled at Josephine and said amiably, "I think we're all done with the book tours for now and I want to let my brain simmer for a little while before I tackle another book. That means you can focus on some of your other clients while I goof off!"

Josephine merely smiled at her client and remarked, "I do appreciate your candor and I do plan on doing just that, even though most of my other clients aren't nearly as much fun!"

After breakfast, Roger decided he wanted to go up to the house and do some more work on the doors and hinges.

He gathered up a couple of more cans of penetrating oil spray, a couple of stout screw drivers, a small hammer and a couple of small pin punches.

Collecting the keys from Anna, he set out for the house with Dena and Sasha happily tagging along.

Once they got there, Dena hopped off Sasha's back, sent her off to look around and watched while he dosed up the hinges and locks once more.

Dena wrinkled up her tiny nose at the scent and remarked, "Whit is 'at mince 'at smells sae strange?"

Putting the cap back on the spray can Roger grinned at his tiny observer and said, "This 'strange smelling stuff' as you put it, is an oil that gets into the tiniest cracks and loosens the metal bits. It will help the locks and hinges work easier."

They spent the next few hours looking for more outside doors to treat with the penetrating oil.

Some of them were found by pulling apart the ivy and slipping through the opening they'd made. He tried the keys in the locks and found that they did fit nicely, which would save him having to find a locksmith that could duplicate such an old key.

They poked around until lunchtime and Roger shared his lunch with Sasha and Dena.

Sasha for all her size, was quite the lady about taking food from him, she would lightly grip it with her teeth and gently take it from his fingers.

Glancing at his watch afterwards, Roger declared, "Well guys, we'd better head back. I have to pick up Freya this afternoon so she can say goodbye to MissAnna and Miss Josephine."

As they leisurely strolled back to his house, Roger asked, "Dena, I have to know...Just what were you thinking, coming down here like you did? This area is so built up that I'm concerned that Sasha might get seen. I'm praying that she'll get mistaken for a bear because of her size, but still it could get pretty crazy.."

Dena sat on Sasha's back, quietly mulling over his questions until she replied in a serious tone. "Ah was concerned abit such a yoong lassie livin' sae far frae haem, in a place whaur aw fowk is sae wee tae 'er. Ah wanted tae be near 'er in case she needed me. Induna asked me tae watch ow'er 'er an ahm honorin' 'er lest request."

Dena reached out and Roger extended his hand so she could grip a finger while they continued walking, she grinned at him and said merrily, "Besides, Ah missed ye an' wanted tae see ye again, an' sae did Sasha!"

Roger just rolled his eyes and commented drily, "I gathered that from the way you kissed me like you did, when we bumped into each other down in the basement. And blaming it on an innocent wolf like Sasha is dirty pool!"

She quickly retorted, "Ye shoods feel honored, nae mony men gie kissed by a wuid guidwife!" a few strides later, "It worked didne it?" she declared and stuck out her little pink tongue.

Entering the roomy house, Sasha promptly went into the living room and curled up to sleep on the oriental rug in front of the big fire place.

Dena went to her things and began sorting her clothing, such as she had.

This prompted Roger to show her where the laundry room was, so she could wash her things properly.

He stood her up on the dryer and showed her how the washing machine worked and how to set it up for a small load like she had.

After it was started, he closed the lid and said, "Now we just let it do its work. The machine will stop when it's finished and then we'll put your things in the dryer."

Dena smiled at him and before he could react, she kissed him yet again then softly said, "Thenk ye fur yer kindness tae me an' Sasha. Ah see noo 'at comin' haur was a guid idea after aw."

Roger blushed and said shyly, "This is so strange, getting kissed by a girl one third my height just now and last night, I got kissed by a girl almost a foot and a half taller than me."

Dena smiled at him and said happily, "That's nae sae strange...We baith loove ye in uir ain way an' kissin' is a body way tae show uir affection."

Roger could only smile at his tiny companion, lift her up from the dryer top and set her down on the floor.

After looking around the house a bit, he found Anna and Josephine sitting in Anna's room, all packed and ready to leave.

They were simply relaxing a while before the flurry of activity started up again.

Anna smiled at little Dena standing besides Roger and said, "When I come back in a month or so, I want to ask you about whole bunch of things for a story idea I have. Will that be okay with you?"

Dena grinned and replied, "Ay coorse! Ah dorn't min' a bit!"

Josephine smiled at her and remarked, "I can't get over how cute you are, with your tiny size and your whole elf look, it's hard to believe you are real." she chuckled softly and commented, "Then again, I've met so many people recently that shouldn't exist yet there they are, as real as I am."

Roger, seeing an opening, asked, "So when's the flight taking off?"

Josephine glanced at her boarding pass and replied, "Eight P.M., we'll leave here about six thirty to return the car and go from there."

Roger pulled up in front of West Sylvan Middle School and waited for Freya to emerge from the school.

At precisely 3:03 P.M. The dismissal bell rang and students began exiting the numerous buildings and leaving the campus.

After the crush of students started to ebb, Freya emerged and came out to the van.

With her were Anita Larsen, looking much better than she had that morning, Lorna Yamada in her usual sports oriented garb and Tamara Johnson, also dressed for the basketball courts.

Per an earlier arrangement, the girls all piled into the van and came home with Freya.

The plan had been to let Freya change into court attire and she would go play basketball with her friends at the recreation center, where a couple of WNBA stars were going to make an appearance.

Anita was a late change to the plans as she was invited to hang out with Anna Karlsen until it was time for her to leave.

Anita leapt at the chance to visit with Anna and talk about writing.

Arriving at the house, Freya wasted no time in changing into court attire and literally blowing out of the door with her two friends, leaving a mildly bemused Anna Karlsen in their wake.

Roger shrugged and remarked, "Hey, It beats having to explain where Dena and Sasha came from!"

He jerked a thumb towards the living room where Anita was hunkered down and giving the immense wolf a belly rub, much to Dena's amusement.

6:30 arrived all too soon for Anna and Anita who were having a rather animated conversation about a story Anita had started writing the night before.

The girl was literally in heaven chatting so amiably with her favorite author on such a personal level.

It was Josephine who had to play the bad guy and tactfully remind Anna that it was indeed, time to leave for home.

Josephine shook hands with Roger and thanked him for his hospitality during their stay.

Anita and Anna hugged and kissed each other and tearfully promised to keep in touch, with Anna cheerfully declaring that Anita was "Her favorite fan!" to Anita's deepest blushes.

Anna finally turned to Roger and after a warm embrace, she rose on tip toe and kissed him very sweetly.

She smiled and said pleasantly, "I'll be coming back in a few weeks and we'll get started on my house."

Roger smiled at her and replied, "And I'll keep your room ready for you!"

He and Anita walked them out to their rental car and after he put their luggage in the trunk. Roger hugged both Josephine and Anna and wished them a safe journey, Anna and Anita hugged once more and wished each other well.

Roger held the doors for each of them and as he held the door for Anna, she kissed him once more and smiled as she sat in her seat while he closed the car door.

A few minutes later, Roger and Anita were standing alone together in the driveway to his oversized craftsman home in a semi rural part of Portland, Oregon.

It all seemed so quiet now after Anna and Josephine had left and Freya would not be home for a while.

He smiled at his youthful guest and asked, " Young miss, would you like a spot of tea and a biscuit, while we're waiting?"

He held out his arm and Anita smiled at him as she replied cheerfully, "Why thank you kind sir! Yes, a spot of tea would be lovely right about now." and slipped her arm though his, as they entered the front doors of the house he shared with a young giantess.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Giantess meets a Warrior

I do not own Claymore

Several weeks after Anna Karlsen had returned to Los Angeles to take care of some loose ends before returning to Portland, Oregon to supervise the work on her old house.

Meanwhile, Roger and Freya had cleared enough of the long driveway that he could now drive his van nearly up to the house and bring up ladders and larger tools for cutting away more of the vegetation obscuring the rambling structure.

So far, they had cleared away the doors and some of the larger windows to let in more light and were deciding which of the Rowan trees surrounding the house would be removed.

He had also made up a gate in the fence between their houses so that Sasha and Dena could go up to the house and remain unseen by the neighbors.

Before long, a narrow foot path had developed between the houses from the comings and goings of Roger, Freya, Anita Larsen and the wolf/wood wife pair.

Roger had also photographed their progress and had sent copies to Anna and his boss Rachel Thompson to keep them abreast of their efforts.

Anna expressed her delight at seeing Anita working so hard while Rachel merely commented that Freya had grown quite a bit since she had last seen her, when she saw the group photo of them standing outside the house.

Gradually, Freya's other friends had been introduced to Dena and Sasha and sworn to secrecy about them.

Ingrid Hansen, the women's volleyball team captain and ardent wolf fancier, gasped at seeing Sasha for the first time and Roger chuckled at the sight of Ingrid Hansen, now twenty three years old and preparing to graduate in the fall, gushing over Sasha like she was a newborn puppy or a kitten.

Lorna Yamada got a real kick out of meeting Sasha, her family had an Akita and Lorna, after her initial shock at Sasha's size, quickly found herself laughing as she dug her strong hands into Sasha's dense fur.

Tamara Johnson was a bit more reserved, her family had a small Pomeranian and a wolf the size of a pony, was almost too much for her.

Dierdre Shannon immediately took a strong liking to Sasha and stoutly declared, "I've finally met a dog bigger than my own Cormac!"

Cormac being the name of her family's Irish Wolfhound.

When it was pointed out that Sasha was a wolf, Dierdre argued that wolves are canids and therefore, doggies!

They all fell in love with little Dena the woodwife and couldn't get over just how cute she was.

In the weeks prior to Anna's return, they had cleaned up a few of the rooms on the ground floor and most of the basement and kitchen areas.

Roger had looked the plumbing and electrical over and decided it was way beyond his abilities to deal with it.

He decided he would, after consulting Anna, hand the job over to the same contractors who had refurbished the electrical in his own house, as they were able to install new conduit in the walls with minimal damage.

Four days to go and Anna called, Roger answered it upon hearing her special ring tone. "Anna!" he answered, "We're getting things ready for you and the friend you mentioned earlier. You'll have to stay with us for the time being, as there is no power or running water in the house."

Anna's soothing voice replied, "It's not a problem, you've got that big house as I recall, so two more will hardly strain your resources!"

"So when can we expect you?" asked Roger.

"Saturday afternoon, the 4:30 P.M. Flight. Oh, I've sent a couple of large boxes of my things as I plan on being in Portland on a fairly regular basis. They should be arriving about tomorrow."

Roger jotted that down and replied, "Watch out for large boxes...Any special instructions pertaining to them?"

"Nah, just set them aside and I'll deal with them when I get there."

Roger said, "So we'll be seeing you in a couple of days then. Anita will be delighted you know."

Anna chuckled and remarked, " So will I, I like her, she has so much potential as a writer. She doesn't know it yet but, I want to do a collaboration with her in a few more years."

Saturday afternoon and the people waiting for their loved ones were treated to the sight of a seven-foot-four-inch tall girl with red-gold hair in two thick braids hanging almost to her waist, standing next to a five foot tall Goth girl with jet black hair, who was holding a "WELCOME BACK ANNA!" sign in her hands.

The lean, six foot tall, sandy haired man standing with them hardly rated a second glance.

The jet from Los Angeles had arrived on time and was gently easing into the docking port allotted for it.

Minutes later, the arriving passengers began flowing out of the portal.

The crowd had thinned somewhat when Anna appeared first, she was wearing her usual sun blocking clothing.

Coming right behind her was a much taller woman with flaxen hair and silvery gray eyes, she moved with a lithe grace that told of superb physical conditioning and great strength.

She loomed over Anna by slightly over a foot and was attracting her own level of attention by virtue of her looks alone.

Anna broke into a big grin and cried, "It is sooo good to see you guys again!" as she glommed onto Anita first, then Freya and Roger in rapid succession.

"Guys, I want you to meet Sheila, Sheila Ericcson. Sheila, these are my friends, Anita, the young writer I told you about, Freya, well you can see for yourself and Roger, a most interesting man and Freya's companion."

Sheila smiled at them all and then said to Freya, "I haven't seen anyone your size in a very, very long time!"

Freya grinned at her and replied, "An' Ah dinnae think I'd be meetin' th' Sheila from th' stories of auld!"

Anna smiled at Roger and asked quietly, "Did our boxes arrive?"

"Yes, they arrived yesterday."

"Great, then there's no reason for us to hang around here then!"

Moments later, the small group of eye catching ladies and one lean, rangy man with sandy hair and sunburnt features, made their way out of the busy aiport.

Roger opened the door to the van and held it while Anna and Sheila slipped inside and settled into their seats.

Anita hopped in next and Freya settled into her usual spot alongside Roger.

The drive from the airport to the house was easily forgettable and soon, the van was parked in the driveway and everyone was piling out.

Sheila stood for a moment admiring the large craftsman home Roger and Freya lived in. Then she commented, "It's going to to feel a bit strange staying in a house where I will feel small inside of it... Who built this place?"

"It was built for a retired circus giant couple, they were both over eight feet tall and the house was built to their requirements." answered Anita with a smile.

Once inside the house, Anita took it upon herself to show Sheila around the house while Anna went into the room she would be staying in, there stood the tall wooden crate with her name on it.

Roger helped her open the crate up to reveal a large portmanteau filled with her travel necessities.

Roger dismantled the rest of the crate and carried the pieces out to the carriage house for safe keeping.

When he returned, Anna had already eased the portmanteau alongside the armoire already in her room and was sitting in the winged chair looking quite pleased with herself.

Roger grinned at her while she rose from her chair and slipped into his arms for a nice hug and a brief kiss.

Their brief moment was interrupted by Sheila when she came into Anna's room and asked for a screwdriver so she could open her own tall crate.

Roger smiled and replied, "Will this do?" as he offered her a cordless screwdriver.

She smiled and took the tool back to her own room.

Watching her towering form walking away, Roger asked Anna, "So what exactly, will she be doing here?"

Anna smiled at him and replied, "She lived here some sixty years ago and still knows the town fairly well, she'll be helping me out with getting a reliable blood supply so I won't have to hunt for food."

A few minutes later, Anita's voice was heard to say, "Is that for real?"

Anna smirked, rolled her eyes and remarked, "She brought her sword!"

"Her sword? What do you mean, her sword?" asked Roger.

Anna smiled at him and replied playfully, "Sheila always takes her sword with her when she travels... It's a claymore thing!"

"So she really is a claymore then?" queried Roger.

"Very much so, even the queen's bodyguards respect their fighting skills and regard them as living weapons."

Roger sighed and muttered,"I just hope she isn't as wild as Helen was."

Anna laughed and retorted, "Not hardly! She is not one for drawing attention to herself, her size alone makes her stand out, so she compensates by being fairly sedate. Her friend Susana is always teasing her about being a 'stick in the mud'."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "She doesn't stand out THAT much, not like Freya does!"

Saturday evening was spent getting acquainted with Sheila, Freya brought out one of the few books she had brought with her from Induna's extensive library.

Freya handed it to Sheila and she looked at it for a few moments, then she began to read from it aloud.

Both Freya and Anita sat quietly while Sheila read aloud in an almost forgotten tongue.

Handing the book back to Freya, she remarked quietly, "It took me a minute to recall this tongue, I haven't spoken it in a very long time."

Sighing, she murmured, "Thorfinn was his name, Thorfinn Redbeard. I was traveling through the north lands as they reminded me of my own people. I met him after I had fought an awakened being and killed her."

Sheila smiled and said wistfully, "He was so handsome, big and strong and gentle, all at once. How could I not fall for him! We married and I lived with him for the rest of his life. We had no children because I cannot become a mother, yet he married me anyway. I left the north lands after he died. I personally laid his corpse out for the bears to find."

She smiled at Freya and commented, "When the news of 'frost giants' began coming out, I had my doubts. Some of the scandis I had encountered were nearly as tall as me and I wondered if something hadn't been lost in the translation when frost giants were mentioned. Then I saw a video of a WNBA star getting seriously challenged in a game of one-on-one by a girl with red-gold hair in long braids, a girl barely twelve years old and already standing well over seven feet tall. When Anastasia here told me she knew that girl and asked me to come up to Portland to help out, how could I resist?"

Anita sat wide eyed with amazement after Sheila had recounted her tale of love won and lost, clearing her throat she asked, "How long ago did all this happen? If I may be so bold." Without batting a lash, Sheila replied, "It was just before their great migration, so I'd have to say about nineteen hundred, two thousand years ago."

The girl gulped and in a small voice asked, "Just how old, are you?"

Sheila laughed and replied gaily, " There are some things you just don't ask a lady, and her age is one of them."

She winked at Anita and added, "I stopped keeping track a very long time ago, although I and my sisters have witnessed the rise and fall of several civilizations, if that helps any."

Anita whistled and said softly, "You don't look a day over twenty-five, yet you're older than civilization it sounds like."

Sheila guffawed and said cheerfully, "Hey now, I'm not THAT old!"

The great grandfather clock's chiming of the nine o'clock hour interrupted and Anita muttered, "Dang! I promised mom I'd be home by now."

Her phone chimed and she hesitated a moment before answering it, "Hi mom! Sorry I'm not home yet like I'd promised."

She listened a moment and said, "Anna's here and she brought a friend of hers. We've just been talking and getting to know each other and I completely lost track of the time."

A few moments later Anita exclaimed in surprise, "You're coming to get me? Really? Thanks mom!" Anita closed up her phone and happily declared, "Mom's on her way to get me."

There was a soft scratching sound at the kitchen door and Roger got up to let Sasha and Dena in, they had been up at Anna's old house busily cleaning most of the day and were coming home for the evening.

Sasha's voluminous tail wagged happily as she was joyfully greeted by Anna who quickly glommed onto her and exclaimed, "I have missed you!" as she began digging into Sasha's dense fur.

Roger said, "Dena, this is Sheila, she is a friend of Anna's. Sheila, this is Dena our resident wood wife and the wolf is Sasha, her companion." then he went into the kitchen to help Dena get Sasha's food ready.

Sheila gazed down at the tiny woodwife and said quietly, "I haven't seen a wood wife and a great guardian wolf in ages!"

Dena stood as tall as her two foot height would allow and said, "Ain fa ur ye? Yoo're nae loch th' others, Ah sense a stoatin age abit ye. Thocht ye swatch yoothful, ye ur older than me."

Sheila smiled at the tiny woodwife and replied, "Mah nam is Sheila Ericcson, lang, lang ago, Ah lived amang th' Jotuns after I hud slain th' monster 'at was killin' them."

She grinned at Anna and remarked, "I had to think about what I was going to say, I haven't spoken that language in a very long time."

Dena looked thoughtful then she said, "Ye main be th' hen 'at killed Grendel an' burned 'er corpse jist tae make sure she was truly deid." Sheila smiled and nodded a 'yes'.

Dena grinned and remarked, "Mah stoatin grandmother tauld me abit ye, she remembered ye frae when she was a lassie."

Dena looked the six foot six inches tall, flaxen haired, silvery gray eyed beauty up and down and said, "An' Ah didnae ken onie ay ye claymores still lived!"

Sheila smiled wistfully and replied, "There's a few of us left and we try to keep in touch with each other. Some of us have been getting together and working out to keep in shape, it's pretty good therapy for us. Being able to flex our muscles and train the way we did in the old days without being stared at."

Anita smiled and said, "I can't believe you're being so open about this. I mean wouldn't you want it kept a secret? I sure would!"

Anna smiled at the young girl, and with a wave of her hand while uttering a soft, soothing, "Go to sleep!"

Anita's eyes went blank and she slumped in her chair.

Anna leaned close and murmured softly in Anita's ear for a few moments.

Returning to her seat, Anna sat smiling and sipping her tea as if waiting for Anita to wake up.

Ten minutes later, Anita's eyes fluttered open and she sat up again with a remark to Sheila, "That's funny how you're named after a legendary warrior woman from two thousand years ago, actually it's pretty cool and considering that you're into that live steel sword fighting thing, it's very appropriate!"

Headlights from a car coming up the driveway briefly flashed across the ceiling and Anita commented, "Welp, my mom's here so I gotta run..."

Roger chuckled and remarked, "Don't you think your mom would like to say hi, to Anna?" Anita stopped in mid sentence and flushed a light scarlet, "I'm sorry!" she cried and dashed to the door.

A few moments later, she all but dragged her mother under mild protest into the house. Helen Larsen smiled at Anna and said cheerfully, "She insisted I come in and I thought maybe you would be tired after your flight, but impetuous child overruled sensible parent and here I am... Hi!"

Anna laughed and replied, "It's quite alright actually, we've all been catching up on things and Anita is getting to know my friend Sheila here."

She gestured at Sheila who was standing next to Freya.

Sheila smiled and nodded in reply to her gesture.

Helen stepped forward and she clasped hands with Sheila in greeting as they shook hands, Helen remarked, "It's a pleasure to meet you Sheila."

She looked at Sheila's eyes closely and said, "What interesting eyes you have, I've never seen eyes of that color before."

Sheila smiled and replied, "It runs in the family apparently, I have several cousins with similarly colored eyes."

Helen grinned at her and remarked, "You're pretty tall, maybe you can play a little basket ball with Freya here."

Anita rolled her pale blue eyes and groaned, "Mom! Just 'cause she's tall doesn't mean she likes to play basketball!"

Sheila chuckled and remarked, "I get that a lot, I can play, I'm just not very good at it. My sport of choice is live steel sword fighting."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

I do not own claymore

Helen blinked at her a couple of times, then asked hesitantly, "Live steel, as in sharp?" Sheila grinned and replied, "Oh no, our blades are dulled on purpose. We wear armor and padding to protect against injury, but we can and do get hurt sometimes. Bruises and broken bones are fairly common!"

For emphasis, Sheila pulled up her left sleeve and showed off a rather impressive bruise in its fading to yellow stage.

"I got this at a match last week. The axe blow splintered my shield and I had to borrow one to finish the match!"

Helen just shook her head and chuckled as she remarked, "I should be grateful my Anita is a little too lightly built for that sort of thing. She's into the Goth-loli look which is a lot less dangerous!"

Sheila was about to mention the different weight classes in live steel sword matches when she saw Anita frantically trying to keep her from saying just such a thing.

She merely smiled at Helen's response, to Anita's great relief. The girl silently mouthed 'thank you!' to Sheila and she smiled slightly back at her.

Helen smiled at Anna and asked her, "So how long are you going to be in town this time?" Anna replied, "Probably a few months, I need to be here to watch over my great grandmother's house as it gets fixed up and converted into a research library."

She grinned at Anita and remarked, "Plus, I want to see how my favorite fan is coming along with her writing."

Anita's pretty face broke out into a big smile at that and Helen replied, "She's been pretty busy with that actually and I've only been allowed to see bits and pieces of her new stories." Anita grinned at her mother and replied, "That's because they're not ready yet!"

Anna chuckled and said to Helen, "Don't feel badly, I also get pretty secretive when I'm deeply involved in a story. I don't want any distractions, I'll work on a computer that is not connected to the internet and I'll turn off the phone...I turn into a real hermit!"

Helen laughed and commented with a wink, "I have considered having her bedroom door fitted with one of those small slots to slide the food tray through, that way I won't have to knock and ask if she's hungry!"

"Mom! I'm not that bad!" howled Anita in protest while Anna laughed.

The next day after a light breakfast, the four of them went up to Anna's old house.

They got fairly close before Sheila commented, "I see you've got a repulsion charm on this place."

Anna slapped her forehead and said apologetically, "Sorry! I forgot that I hadn't welcomed you here yet."

Roger chuckled slightly and remarked, "You did pretty good, the first time we came up here, we were in pretty bad shape by the time Anna welcomed us. When did you first notice the charm?"

Sheila smiled slightly and replied matter of factly, "I noticed it last night when we first got here."

She looked over at him and said pleasantly, "I can sense things, kind of like reading an aura is the easiest way to describe it."

Anna smiled and chimed in, "It's a little disconcerting sometimes, she'll spot a bad person right away just from the vibes they put out."

Sheila chuckled and retorted, "If you think I'm bad, wait'll you see Galatea in action, she can read someone across a continent. We used to call her "God Eye Galatea" for a very good reason."

Roger smiled and remarked, "My buddy George told me about her, she sounds like quite a lady!" They paused in their idle banter while Anna officially welcomed Sheila to her old house and continuing on, they soon stood outside the large building, looking it over.

Anna remarked, "You didn't remove any of the trees, I thought you would have cleared several of them away by now."

Roger jerked a thumb towards the house and replied,"I kinda got overruled by a tiny girl and her giant wolf."

Sitting on the front steps of the big house were the enormous wolf and the tiny, doll sized girl in question.

Anna grinned at the pair and said cheerfully, "So now you're in charge of things?"

The girl stood up and stoutly declared in her squeak of a voice, "Ah wanted tae bide until yoo've hud a chance tae swatch th' hoose ower afore we removed onie trees."

Dena hopped down from the broad steps and walked towards the four of them. "We've bin haur since loom o'morn workin' inside doon th' scullery. Noo 'at yoo're aw haur, we can gie some wark dain!" she declared.

Sheila looked over at Roger, he grinned and replied, "Dena is always serious when it comes to work, she's cleaned up much of the downstairs all by herself. Though I suspect she may have coerced a couple of the local wood elves into helping her out."

The soft crunching of gravel under tires came from behind them and soon after, Anita rolled up on her bicycle, looking a bit red faced from pedaling uphill the whole way.

"'Morning!" she cried out, "I stopped at the house and saw you were all gone, so I came up here."

She grinned at Dena and said cheerfully, "I brought some chew bones for Sasha and some goodies for your friends!"

Dena smiled at her and said, "Mah friends will loch 'at an' thenk ye fur th' chew anes." Roger gazed curiously at Dena and with one eyebrow raised asked, "Friends?"

Dena smiled at him and replied, "They bide near haur an' speart if they coods help. Ah figured wi' th' comin' winter, thes big auld hoose woods be perfect."

Anna shrugged and replied, "I certainly don't mind a few extra house guests."

Dena broke into a big grin and she turned around to let out an amazingly loud whistle, then cried, "Cam oan it noo, th' quine ay th' hoose wishes tae meit ye!"

A few moments later , there was a faint rustling in the verdure nearby and out popped five tiny people.

There was a tiny brown man with large hands and feet, all dressed in brown and standing two and a half feet tall.

Beside him was a tiny woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes dressed in a blue dress with a green bodice and a red jacket.

Peeping shyly from behind her dress were three little faces, a boy and two little girls all dressed in brown.

The children were all only little over a foot and a half tall or so and quite shy.

Anita knelt down and said softly, "Hi guys! I brought you something you might like."

She reached into her back pack and handed them snack sized boxes of raisins and nuts.

Then she handed the adults some cloth all neatly folded up.

They smiled at her and thanked her with tiny, squeaking voices.

When she straightened up again, Roger couldn't help asking her, "How long have you known about these people?"

Anita smiled at him and replied, "A coupla weeks now, I met them kinda by accident. I was helping Dena with an old crate and when I lifted the lid off of it, they were inside looking very scared. Dena called out to them and they all began talking really fast. Freya didn't even faze them and it seemed like they were relieved to see her and Sasha."

Roger glanced at his towering companion and remarked, "Were you planning on telling me about this, or just waiting until I saw them for myself?"

Freya grimaced and replied lamely, "Ah thooght ye knew about them, tae be honest."

He just shrugged and remarked, "Oh well, no harm done. The more the merrier I guess." he paused a moment and asked, "Don't they have a guardian wolf or something to protect themselves with?"

The tiny man grinned and he placed his fingers in his mouth then blew, the whistle was beyond Roger's hearing range apparently as he saw only the little man's cheeks puff up when he blew the note.

Moments later, a family of raccoons scampered out of the growth and gathered around the tiny family, eyeing Roger suspiciously.

He noted that they ignored Freya and seemed to like Anita who grinned and handed them some doggie treats.

Dena said, "Thaur ur nae wolves doon haur, sae they hud tae make dae wi' raccoons."

Roger commented, "The local wolves have likely all been killed off by now. We try to discourage Sasha from howling at the moon so's not to draw attention to her."

He grinned at the giant wolf relaxing nearby, "So far, she's been a good sport about it." Hunkering down, Roger said softly, "Hello everyone, my name is Roger. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

The tiny woman smiled at him and said, "An' it is uir pleasure tae meit th' laird ay th' hoose!"

Taken aback, Roger chuckled and replied, "I'm hardly the lord of the manor. Anna here is the lady of this house, I live next door with Freya and Dena," he glanced at Sasha and added, "and Sasha of course."

The tiny woman shifted her weight to one leg, put her hand on her tiny hip and with tiny blonde eyebrow raised, commented," We ken huir uv a weel owns thes hoose, we also ken 'at yoo're th' a body ay fa takes caur ay Freya, Dena an' Sasha. Tae us, ye ur th' laird ay thes hoose e'en if ye dornt ain it."

She turned towards Anna and bowed then said, "An' ye ur th' quine ay thes hoose e'en if ye dornt bide haur anymair. We ken ye did at a body time."

Anna smiled at her and replied, "That was my great grandmother who lived here, I'm told I look just like her. I will be staying with Roger and Freya while this house gets repaired and converted into a library."

The tiny couple looked at each other briefly and the woman turned to Anna again and said, "We main excuse oorselves, we hae a lot ay wark tae dae today."

They bowed to her once again and seemingly vanished before their eyes.

Anna blinked a couple of times before she remarked in amazement, "I was looking right at them and they just went 'poof!', I am impressed! I sure wish I could pull off that little trick!"

Turning around, Anna looked at the young trees growing nearest the house and asked, "Won't these affect the foundation? Shouldn't we remove them?"

She looked at Roger who wore a somewhat pained expression and asked him, "Are you alright? Is something the matter?"

Roger hesitated a moment then replied, "I have reason to believe there may be a dryad or two living amongst these trees."

"A dryad or two? How do you figure?" Asked Anna with arched eyebrows.

She squinted and looked closely at the trees, "I don't see anything, have you seen something?"

"No one thing in particular, it's little things mostly."

"Little things? What little things? I'm listening." remarked a plainly skeptical Anna.

Roger pointed at some of the younger trees and remarked, "These trees in particular, they used to be right up against the house and I had planned on cutting them down. Now they are several feet away from the house, it's like they moved or something, they somehow sensed that they were in danger and moved out of danger."

"That's hardly what I'd call a 'little thing' Rodge, trees are supposed to be stationary and you're telling me that some of these moved themselves?" exclaimed Anna.

"That's the only way I can explain it Anna, they must've moved somehow. No giant came along and moved them, they had to have moved themselves." replied Roger with a perfectly straight face.

Anna looked at him for a long moment and thoughtfully remarked, "You seem to be becoming quite the 'sensitive' when it comes to dealing with special people. You live with a frost giant girl, a wood wife and her giant wolf companion. Your best friend is married to a lamia and you know a young arachne girl. You're also friends with a vampire and an age old warrior and now you're telling me you think there's a dryad or two living here? Wow, is all I can come up with!"

Roger could only shrug helplessly at her comments and reply, "I haven't actually seen any dryads yet, but with everything else I've seen, why wouldn't they also exist?"

Anita had been standing and listening to their exchange when she raised her hand a moment for their attention and asked, "What would a dryad look like if they existed?"

Roger paused and thought a few moments then replied, "Honestly, I have no idea...I suppose the wood elves might know, only they haven't volunteered anything, and I don't recall hearing anything about dryads from the Jotuns. I guess Induna's library might have something in it. Which makes it even more imperative that we get those books down here in a proper library building!"

Freya cleared her throat and remarked,"We hae stories aboot tree spirits but naethin' aboot dryads, which I think ur Greek mythology."

Roger shrugged and replied drily, "I used the term 'dryad' in a generic sense rather than a specific term."

Looking around, Roger commented, "Whoever did the original landscaping here must've had tree spirits in mind, many of these trees are associated with faeries and are reputed to to have healing and medicinal properties."

"Many of these trees were imported from northern Europe as saplings in large boxes. I wouldn't be surprised if the tree spirits didn't come with them and are now here in the new world." Remarked Anna.

Anita smiled and said dreamily, "That would be so wonderful! Tree spirits living here with us."

Anna said quietly, "I guess the trees can wait until we find out more about how they were moved. Shall we go inside and see what we find?"

Anna took out her key and opened the double doors, they opened silently and she grinned, "Much better, no more groaning hinges to wake the neighbors!" then stepped inside with Sheila close behind.

The five of them entered the huge house and Anna stood smiling as she looked around.

The house was now dust free and the floors were spotlessly clean, causing Anna to comment, "Maybe we should leave our shoes outside, we wouldn't want to undo all their hard work!"

A few moments later, five pairs of stout shoes were sitting outside and their owners were wandering about the house in their stocking feet, playing their flashlights over the walls, floors and ceilings.

When they entered the grand ballroom, Anna and Sheila stood in the doorway while Roger, Freya and Anita happily pulled open the heavy curtains letting daylight fill the great room once more.

Anna clapped her slim hands and said happily, "It's so beautiful! I can't believe how much you have done!"

Anna began humming a popular waltz to her herself and she danced around the grand ballroom with her eyes closed and a smile on her beautiful face. She leaped like a ballerina, pirouetted and bowed to an imaginary audience.

Anita began clapping and the others joined in enthusiastically as Anna straightened up again and grinned at them.

She smiled sadly and said wistfully, "Before I transitioned I was studying the ballet, then I met Viktor Orloff, and things were never the same again."

It was late afternoon when they left the house in the care of the little wood elf family and made their way back down the hill.

As Anita and Freya walked ahead of them with Sasha and Dena, Roger asked quietly, "Does she know of your true nature?" while jerking his thumb at Anita's slim backside.

Anna leaned closer to him and murmured, "She is under a charm not to think my being a vampire is unusual. In fact, she thinks nothing about them. I can talk about them right in front of her and it just doesn't register that it is odd."

"Hiding in plain sight?" winked Roger.

"Yep!" replied Anna with a grin.

Sheila murmured, "I've asked her to help me cover up when I'd forgotten myself and let a friend see just how strong I am. Her ability saved me a lot of explaining that day!"

Anna smiled and said,, "That's why I am grateful to have friends that I can be myself with. Having to hide my true nature at all times can be so wearying."

She reached out and took both Roger's and Sheila's hands and squeezed them briefly in hers.

They went through the gate Roger had put in and as he closed it up again, Anna said, "I've been meaning to ask...Just what is that carefully arranged pile of rocks for? I noticed it the last time I was here but didn't have time to ask about it."

Roger looked over and saw that she was pointing at the inukshuk Freya had insisted on building shortly after she had moved in with him.

He smiled at her and replied, "That, is an inukshuk and Freya wanted to build it to make her feel at home down here. We built a second one in Arizona as a tribute to a friend's family and I imagine, we'll build another one when your house gets refurbished as a tribute to Induna."

Roger grinned at Anna's expression and said cheerfully, "It's a Jotun thing, get used to it!" He smiled as he felt Freya's long arms slip around him from behind as she squeezed him against her budding bosom.

Freya said pleasantly, "Me fowk have a lang tradition ay building these markers tae guide uir way athwart th' land an' tae mark th' places dear tae us."

Anna smiled at the towering young woman and replied, "I think that's wonderful and I look forward to seeing the one you'll build for the library!"

"Ahm lookin' for'ard tae it too!" replied Freya as she squeezed Roger once again before releasing him.

They entered the kitchen door and began preparing dinner.

As Roger washed his hands, he asked Anita, "You staying for dinner?"

"I'm staying the night!"

At her enthusiastic response he replied, "Good,you can set the table!" Anita grinned at him and washed her hands before handling the dinner plates. Anna declared she would help and the two set to laying out the place settings on the large table in the formal dining room.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

I do not own claymore

Freya helped Dena feed Sasha while Sheila was told to relax as she was a guest and wasn't allowed to lift a finger to help.

When she remarked, "So, why is Anna helping then, isn't she also a guest?"

Roger looked up from the skillet he was tending and replied, "I tried that gag the last time she was here, she threatened to complain to the manager if I persisted."

Sheila just rolled her silvery gray eyes and said with a grin, "Yeah, she's funny that way."

Shortly after that, dinner was served.

It was mostly left over roast beef and sauteed vegetables with a salad on the side. Sheila marveled when she saw Dena clamber up her own special stool and join them at the table with her own doll sized dinner ware.

She smiled and said, "Now that, is pretty cool. Did you find everything at a doll shop or something?"

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Antique shops and swap meets mostly, the dishes are from vintage tea sets so they're real China, not cheapo plastic. It wouldn't be right to have her eat off of plastic while we use China ware."

Following dinner, Anna pulled out a couple of yellow legal pads, laid them on the kitchen table where the light was brightest and said to Anita cheerfully, "Give me a story situation!"

Anita grinned at her favorite author and now good friend and declared, "A young girl visiting her grandfather's farm, finds an old box hidden in the barn..."

Anita smiled happily as Anna jotted it down and beckoned for her to join her, soon the two were deep in a conversation involving plot lines and a growing story idea.

Freya was listening intently as Sheila told her stories of old Jotunheim as she remembered it.

Roger sat quietly enjoying himself as he brushed Sasha's thick fur while tiny Dena 'supervised', the giant Wolf sat with her long, pink tongue lolling out of her mouth as she enjoyed the attention.

With bed time rapidly approaching, Roger quickly went to take his shower and skedaddle before the rest of the household used up the hot water.

While he was already used to seeing Freya and Dena in the buff, he was not ready to see a quite naked Anita walking casually down the hall, her twelve year old body blossoming nicely.

She approached the upstairs bathroom door just as an equally nude Anna Karlsen came out of the shower.

Roger saw at once that Anna had the classic dancer's body, lean and lithe, with not an ounce of extra flesh anywhere.

He went downstairs and nearly collided with Sheila, he gaped when he saw her too.

Her lean, well muscled body was a monument to her level of training and physical condition.

Sheila smiled and said playfully, "You act like you've never seen a naked woman before!"

Roger went scarlet and replied in a half strangled voice, "Right now, I'm dealing with a houseful of naked ladies, I've seen all the naked women I can handle for one night!"

Sheila giggled and said gaily, "I'm afraid you'll have to get accustomed to it, my friend." Then she strolled past him and stepped into the downstairs bathroom.

Roger woke from a sound sleep.

Something had hit his bedroom window, squinting at his clock radio he saw it was 3:47 A.M. A soft 'tink!' sound came from his window again, something had bounced off of it. Rising from his warm bed, Roger stepped near the window and peered out.

There below him, stood a figure looking up at his window, it extended an arm and flicked its wrist...'Tink!' went the window again.

Roger pulled on his trousers and shoes and quietly tip toed downstairs, while carefully avoiding the stair step that seemingly creaked so loudly it could wake the household.

Sasha was wide awake and waiting to be let out, her incredible ears had heard the noise too. The pony sized wolf's bushy tail wagged slightly as he approached her.

He leaned closer and whispered, "Do you know who it is girl?"

The giant wolf smiled as only she could and he quietly opened the door so they both could slip outside, pulling the door closed behind them.

They walked around to the side below Roger's bedroom and there stood a vaguely humanoid figure, definitely female if the breasts were any indicator.

Roger drew closer, smiled and said politely, "May I help you with something? You tapped on my window."

The figure smiled back and beckoned for him to follow her.

She began walking and they fell in behind her, Sasha's apparent calm eased Roger's mind, if she wasn't concerned, he wasn't concerned.

He noted that her gait was this odd planting of her feet, one in front of the other, while her trailing foot was seemingly uprooted and the soil shaken loose before it was swept forward to be replanted, however briefly.

In spite of her odd gait she moved quickly and before long, Roger found himself standing outside of Anna's huge, old house.

There he saw several other figures, all representing the tree species they protected.

There were stately old English Oaks, gnarled with age and moving slowly, their joints creaking faintly.

Slender Beeches stood swaying to an unheard melody and two mature Rowans aging gracefully, stood gazing down at him, their faces inscrutable in the darkness.

Roger stood still, his mouth open in amazement as Sasha sat beside him, her tongue lolling out of her grinning mouth.

The figure came before him and he gazed at her in fascination.

Roger wasn't quite sure of what she was, she did not resemble any of the trees represented and none of the trees nearby were of southern origin, they were all northern species.

She smiled at him and he realized that she was quite the beauty, she was about his own height and clearly a woman from the rondure of her breasts and curve of her hips.

Her hair as he thought of it, was very coarse near her scalp, almost twig like as it swept back from her forehead and cascaded past her shoulders and hung down her back, ending in a fine sweep of silky hair, just above her knees.

She reached out with a long fingered hand and lightly touched his brow.

Roger felt an odd tingling sensation between his eyes as a stream of images trickled into his mind.

Images of being dug out of the fertile ground called home, the pain of feeling myriad tiny roots being cut off.

Of being confined to a wooden box and placed on the rolling deck of a ship and given barely enough water to survive.

Of being roughly handled as calloused hands placed her in a hole dug into a foreign soil, the agony of many branches getting cut off to change her shape.

Of the feelings of others nearby being treated the same way and being powerless to help.

Of the changing of the seasons, marking the years passing by as awareness and strength returns and connections are made.

A new presence is felt, someone new is here, a someone who is a sensitive.

Contact must be made. Her hand broke contact with his brow and Roger's vision cleared.

He smiled at his nocturnal visitor and said softly, "I was right to listen to my feelings...How many of you are there, if I may ask?"

She only smiled at him and gestured around her.

In the darkness, Roger could only hear the faint creakings and sighings of soft breezes rustling the leaves.

With a start, he realized that there was no breeze, the air was still and warm.

He was hearing the sounds of the painfully slow movements of huge, unknown creatures he could not comprehend.

He glanced down at Sasha, she was perfectly calm, in fact she was lying down as if the slow movement of a forest was an ordinary thing and nothing to be concerned about.

Feeling sleepy he lay down next to Sasha as the tree woman stood watching over him, he snuggled against Sasha's great furry body and drifted off to sleep.

The morning sun woke Roger up from a sound sleep, he was still curled up next to Sasha and the sun's warmth was soaking into his stiff joints, he hadn't slept on the ground since he'd met Freya and he was feeling it now.

Sitting up, Roger looked around in amazement, most of the trees near the old house both old and young, had moved, there was no need to disturb them now.

The exception were the two huge Rowan trees, they still stood watch on either side of the front entrance to the house.

The trees native to the Portland region still had to be removed, but that was not an issue, the inhabited trees had moved themselves and were now safe from harm.

Standing up, he stretched and worked the kinks out of his back and neck, remembering why he didn't like sleeping on the ground now.

He looked down at Sasha as she too stretched and yawned, he laughed and said to her, "No one will ever believe what we saw last night, girl..." he caught himself and grinned, he was living with a young frost giantess and a wood wife, he was standing next to a giant wolf and had a vampire and a former claymore warrior as house guests, they would believe him!

Feeling a bit hollow inside, he grinned at his giant wolf companion and said, "Let's go see if they left us any breakfast!"

They headed back down the hill and were greeted by a worried Freya.

"Whaur were ye last nicht? Ah saw ye werenae at haem, ye left nary a note tae tell me whaur ye were gang aft tae, at least ye had th' guid sense tae take Sasha wi' ye!"

She looked him over and asked, "Pine needles? Oak leaves? Did ye sleep in th' wuids last nicht?"

Roger could only smile and reply, "I had a visitor last night, I can't quite explain what I experienced and saw, but we don't need to remove any of the non native trees from near the house now."

Freya looked at him with a puzzled expression and was about to ask what he meant by his comments when little Dena came into the kitchen and said, "Sasha says they saw th' "Green Woman' last nicht an' she watched ower them while th' trees moved."

Freya, Anna, Anita and Sheila all looked at each other for a moment.

Anna approached him and asked gently, "May I see your memories of last night?"

For a moment, Roger thought _" Cat out of the bag time!"_

Then he remembered the charm Anna had placed on Anita, she wouldn't think anything was unusual about what she saw at this house.

He saw Sheila smiling and she said cheerfully, "She's very good at it, I've seen her in action!"

Roger nodded a 'yes' and Anna gently touched his brow.

Closing her eyes, she stood still for a few minutes, then she opened her bright blue eyes again and exclaimed, "Wow! What an incredible experience!"

She turned to the others and declared, "The 'Green Woman' came here last night to take him and Sasha with her back to my house, she showed him her memories of being uprooted and brought here to be replanted, then she watched over and protected them while the trees uprooted themselves and moved away from the house."

Anna looked at him and said quietly, "You are becoming more and more interesting, the better I get to know you as a friend."

Roger smiled at her and remarked, "Remember how I thought we may have a dryad or two living near us? Well, I was wrong, very wrong. I don't think dryads could have that kind of power, to uproot their home tree and move it like I saw last night. I wish it hadn't been so dark so I could have gotten a better look at her, the green woman that is."

Freya said quietly, "Perhaps ye werenae meant tae see th' green woman clearly, perhaps yer mortal min' coods nae ken what ye saw."

Roger thought about her comments and slowly replied, "Perhaps you're right, maybe there are some things best left alone."

He smiled at everyone and said brightly, "Anyway, she saved us a lot of hard work and to thank her, I plan on giving all the relocated trees there a good feeding."

"So what do the grounds around the house look like now?" asked Anna.

Roger shrugged and said, "Not sure, I came down to the house right after waking up. It looked like the house was largely clear of trees except for the two big Rowan trees near the entrance. Now, no more questions until after I've eaten, I'm starving!"

Freya smiled at him and beckoned for him to follow her, she led the way into the kitchen and stepped aside to reveal a big skillet of corned beef hash and fried eggs.

Roger grinned at his towering companion and hugged her, "You're an angel!" he said as he took up a plate and helped himself.

Freya smiled at him and said teasingly, "Ah ken that', ye jist ne'er noticed afore!" Roger laughed and set his plate down on the kitchen table.

Covering it up with a microwave dome he said, "I gotta feed Sasha first, she kept me warm last night, I owe her!"

He took up Sasha's food dish and filled it with a mixture of dry kibble, raw eggs and some canned food mixed in with it.

He set it before a patiently waiting Sasha, ruffled her furry head and said, "Thanks for keeping me warm last night!"

He returned to his breakfast while Sasha enjoyed her own meal.

When Dena commented, "Yoo're gonnae spoil 'at wolf, aye payin' attention tae 'er loch ye dae!"

Roger just grinned at her and kept on eating.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Roger smiled and said, "Let's go see what happened last night!" Soon, the six of them were standing outside the huge house staring in disbelief at the changes.

The two stately Rowan trees remained in their places while the other trees, both young and old had moved away from the house and now formed a vaguely semi circular clearing around the house.

The cleared area had a freshly turned over look to it and merely awaited a gardeners touch. Roger looked over at Sasha and said, "See what we missed because it was so dark?" Approaching the house, they saw the little wood elf family had already started working, trees moving under their own power or no, they weren't going to waste any time gawking at the changes.

The front door was wide open and some of the furniture was being carried outside for a thorough dusting off and cleaning. Because the wood elves were so tiny, it appeared as if the furniture was floating along barely skimming the ground.

Freya, Anita and Dena joined in and began hauling furniture outside while the other wood elves set to cleaning and dusting what they brought out.

Sasha meanwhile, began investigating the area cleared by the movement of the trees the night before, her nose leading the way as she prowled about the grounds.

Armed with flashlights, Roger, Anna and Sheila entered the house.

They were pleasantly surprised to see that with the movement of the trees away from the windows, the interior was no longer quite so gloomy and flashlights were not needed for much of the big house.

Anna wore a somewhat pensive look on her face while she walked about the large rooms until finally she commented, "I sure lived large in those days, I wouldn't even think about building a place like this today! Too big and too ostentatious."

She grinned at Roger and said cheerfully, "It will make a great library and museum though!"

Roger smiled at her and replied, "Once everything's all cleaned up, we can decide how we want to arrange the book shelves and have a halon gas fire suppression system installed just in case of a fire."

Anna shuddered and said, "A fire would be a disaster, the house is just a house, it's the books and other materials that would be a terrible loss. Even if we scanned everything and saved the data...That tangible connection with those gone before us..."

Anna smiled at him and said, "I have a whole collection of first edition versions of every book I ever wrote, some of them were even signed by me in a previous writing career!"

Sheila chuckled and remarked, "My sword is my connection to my own past, I am one of the few warriors who's managed to hang onto my blade all of these years, almost seventy five centuries now. Some of my companions have managed to recover their swords through purchases from collectors who don't realize who the buyer is."

Roger looked at Sheila for a few moments and asked, "How is it these blades haven't simply rusted away or got broken in battle or got melted down for scrap metal?"

She shrugged and replied, "I'm not sure of how they were made, my old captain, a warrior named Miria knows a good deal about their origins. I do know they are virtually unbreakable and can cut through most anything if swung hard enough."

Roger grinned at her and replied, "Considering everything else I've seen in recent years? I would not be surprised."

Sheila smiled at him and remarked, "I'm enjoying the fact that the Jotuns are still with us, my late husband was the only man I ever truly loved and while I have had many a lover, none but him ever really knew me as he did."

Roger chuckled and said, "He was a very fortunate man, your husband. My relationship with Helen though brief, was a remarkable experience and one I will always treasure."

Going back outside, they walked past the freshly cleaned furniture neatly arrayed along the flagstone walkway leading from the driveway to the house itself.

Roger gestured at the circle of Rowan trees and said,, "These trees can be left alone, it's the ones along the driveway we can look into removing or moving elsewhere on the property. While you're here Anna, we can talk with some landscape architects about refurbishing the derelict garden that was here."

Anna looked thoughtful and muttered, "I wonder if we could ask the green woman you saw about that?"

Roger pursed his lips briefly and commented, "I'm not sure we could even contact her or if we could, would she even consider it?"

He looked directly at Anna and said, "She communicated mostly by touching my forehead and I saw these images, I'm not sure she can even speak."

He glanced around and said half to himself, "I sometimes wonder if I really did see her, then I see what she did and I know I saw her, only I have no idea where she is!"


End file.
